Wicked Blue
by Minky2013
Summary: Mariah allowed herself to suffer as Bryan continued to lavish her with unwanted attention. Eyeing her intensely, shooting her a wink…..It was like she could read him as clear as any book….. the twisted, painful little fantasy that was, for sure, occupying his mind. Violent and Sexual themes. A Kai x Mariah fic
1. LOVE HATE

 Welcome to the first chapter of  'Wicked Blue' This is really just to set the scene, it may seem a little cleché at first but I'm going to tear this story apart in different directions…

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

  Crystal sleet flew on the fast winds of the Russian night; the sound of icy shards colliding against the windows rendered a dark smile from Voltaire as he gazed from his regal office

…They have trained endlessly in these conditions.  Given time any trace of weakness will vanish…

 Balkov Abbey was home to many children……..home……the very word implied family, love, safety and security but whatever the implication the fact was none of these existed here.

  Midnight was fast approaching but deep underground, surrounded by gloom and darkness a group of young boys stood in suspense wondering why they had been summoned to the demonstration laboratory.  Until now, this part of the facility had been completely off-limit.  A few boys whispered among themselves, desperately trying to figure out the situation… unaware of the masked man's approach.

"SILENCE!" roared Boris

The whole group quickly stood to attention.  Boris, they're teacher and minder worked under the orders of Voltaire just like any other member of Biovault; but to the elementary aged trainees the visible characteristics which set Boris apart from the average Balkov goon, was the red-eyed 'lone-ranger' mask modelled on a daily basis not to mention his long, thin, wedge-shaped nose that would have looked more at home attached to the face of a macaw parrot; add to the mix his valid reputation as a sexual bully,and you quickly understood why, while in his presence, they desperately wished to be some place else. 

  FLASH!!! Suddenly a huge set of ceiling mounted floodlights illuminated the entire area and they found themselves standing on an elevated balcony behind a large glass screen

"Now…Stand and watch," ordered Boris with a smirk

The children cautiously moved closer to the edge and peered through the glass.  Far below, they could see a large metallic Beyblade dish built into the stone floor with a lab technician standing in front of it.  He wore some sort of protective outfit resembling a nuclear radiation suit and held a loaded Beyblade shooter.  

A digitised female voice came over the intercom system "…. Initiate Black Dranzer test sequence….3…2…1…" 

The technician viciously pulled back the rip-cord sending the blade into a spinning frenzy; it whizzed around the dish with ever increasing speed, faster and faster…..suddenly, it mounted the side and escaped the perimeter of the Beyblade dish. 

 Panic struck!

  The lab technician yelped in fear and quickly darted towards the heavy double glazed exit, leaving Black Dranzer to spin unattended.  Boris grinned as he stood behind the shocked and awestruck children.  Meanwhile, the blade below continued to tear around the tiled chamber as crackling energy surged from the bit-beast within, coming closer and closer until……..SMASH!!!!!! 

The glass screen shattered, despite its bulletproof thickness, in response to the wild lash of Black Dranzer.  Sirens flared as the few scientists stationed in the observation office abandoned their post to carry out security procedures on a lower level within the laboratory; their job after-all was to keep any possible damage to a minimum.

Black Dranzer roared insanely as it flew and twisted through the electric air.  A truly frightening sight!

This was too much, far too much for any nine-year-old child to bare and although they had been trained like soldiers and toughened like criminals…they ran, the boys fled…

All except one…

Kai stood, entranced by the power, beauty and evil of the dark bit-beast, as a hail of broken glass flew at him like miniature daggers, barely wincing as one caught his face and slit his left cheek.

"Black Dranzer RETURN NOW!" Boris commanded loudly, and with one final RRRRROAR! The demon beast withdrew to the confines of its Beyblade home.  The, now, seemingly lifeless blade spun to a slow and wobbly stop at the bottom of the cold steel stadium.

  As the dust began to settle and the quiet aftermath set in, little Kai felt a big hand clamp down on his shoulder

Boris crouched down to come eye to eye with the young lad "Impressed?" he asked with his creepy grin plastered across his mouth _…Alone at last…_

Kai said nothing and instead looked away…this love-hate treatment was nothing new; looks of lust and lingering touches, the taboo result of a teacher falling for his student. Boris noticed the wound, which brought to mind a deliciously sick idea; he pulled Kai into a one-armed embrace, using his other hand to keep the child's face still whilst he slowly licked the blood from the cut.

"Don't" protested Kai as he struggled but it was in vain; his arms were held, trapped against his sides and Boris's strength overshadowed his own _…I should have ran…I should have ran away like the others…but Black Dranzer…_

It was beginning to sting.  The sore pain worsened as Boris continued to lap at the tender injury but in conjunction with this another feeling arose.  That familiar wave of sickness and confusion grew within Kai's stomach telling him 'this isn't natural, this isn't fair, this isn't right' he couldn't take it any longer and in a split-second decision, he lurched forward and bit the hand clutching his face.  Boris immediately pulled away hissing in pain before retaliating with a hard backhanded strike sending Kai hurtling to the ground amongst debris of chipped and broken glass.  

"That old saying must be true. You always hurt the ones you love " said Boris in an angry yet playful tone.  Kai groaned slightly as he moved, making an attempt to stand up but Boris stopped him and the kid was forced once again flat on his back, this time, with Boris's foot pressing down on his chest, pinning him

"Let me go!" he demanded loudly but the madman looming overhead simply grinned and pressed down even harder.  Boris raised his hand to inspect the damage inflicted by Kai's bite "hmmm I think you need a muzzle… or I can simply wrench out every single one of your teeth" there it was again; that sadistic smile

"I sincerely wish I didn't have to punish you… but not to worry… with pain comes pleasure, you'll see what I mean…"

Despite his youth Kai knew what this monster was capable of doing to him, he'd heard the rumours, recalling one account in particular _…Watch out for Boris, he falls in love with boys…if you're not careful he'll fall in love with you, he won't warn you, he won't tell you…he'll show you…_and right now this felt like the start of Boris's signature move.

  After cornering an innocent, helpless victim in a secluded area of the abbey, then ravishing him in ways that would chill the bones of a seasoned sexual predator, he'd make the victim "promise" not to tell. Satisfied the young boy wasn't lying, he simply let him go. Whereupon, the mauled and pummelled victim would make an effort to forget and continue with training as though nothing had happened.  Terrified at this prospect, Kai with new-found adrenaline fuelled strength managed to squirm out from underneath the crushing pressure of Boris's foot and make a dash for the door _…almost…_

Suddenly! Kai yelped involuntarily, finding himself unable to run or breathe as a painful stranglehold engulfed his neck.  

Unlucky boy.

  Boris caught the end of Kai's white scarf, pulling it taut like a strict master keeping a dog on a short leash

"…Your grandfather is leaving tonight, but you know that already don't you…I could see you wanted to cry as he told you, why do you love him? Is it because you feel you have to?  You realise once he's gone, I'll be the only person on this entire continent to love you Kai"

"…I DON'T WANT YOU TO LOVE ME… I HATE YOU…" shouted Kai as he tried desperately to free himself,

"You say that now but I know one day you'll come to return my feelings" Boris began reeling the boy in, using a slow 'tug of war' motion on the twisted tight scarf, while Kai tried with all his might to escape in the opposite direction

"Understand this Kai.  Love is blind.  Love knows no age, race or gender and the key to attaining your true love is persistence…"

Love, love, love.  Boris kept using that word over and over but even Kai at age nine could differentiate between love and lust. 

 Another pull and again he stumbled backwards, barely maintaining balance

"You'll understand when you're older…" envisioning Kai as an attractive young adult plunged Boris' already sex laced mind even further into the gutter

"…You're going to be beautiful…"

Kai closed his eyes as searing tears trailed down his face, he had tried so hard to escape; tried and failed.  And in Balkov Abbey, all failures were met with punishment, in this case certain rape.

  It seemed all hope had vanished as Kai found himself in a crushing embrace from behind

"…no…" he sobbed pathetically

As cold, calloused hands touched and moved over his body the desperate boy prayed silently for help. _…make him stop…_

  His prayers must have caught the attention of a merciful God because just then a sound came from the other side of the balcony door.  Footsteps treading stone stairs.  Boris suddenly stopped his ministrations and stood to face whoever was out there…

A silhouette cast across the square window of the door, it's owner obviously intended to enter and Kai thanked his God for that…but as the door opened it turned out that Kai's guardian angel had been sent in the form of an unholy saviour, his grandfather; Voltaire.

Noticing the smashed screen, the broken glass and the absence of the other trainees Voltaire came to a conclusion _…the experiment failed, Black Dranzer remains uncontrollable…_

He looked down at his young grandson, the boy looked troubled, shaken, angry and something else……

Ignoring it for now, he turned to Boris

"I'm disappointed Boris, you gave me your word that Black Dranzer would be ready for use before my departure tonight" 

"I apologise Sir, the blade itself is perfect…but the bit-beast is like nothing we've ever encountered"

Kai remained still, taking in every word the adults said. _…Just how strong is Black Dranzer?…_

"I wish you had witnessed it Sir, Black Dranzer's power is immense, though I promise when you return it will be under control. Our research has shown there are no limits to its capabilities, Black Dranzer has the potential for infinite strength" said Boris respectfully but at the same time had an incredibly smug look on his face.

"Forgive my lack of excitement Boris but a powerful bit-beast is useless to me unless it can be controlled and a promise means nothing until it is delivered" replied Voltaire slightly annoyed; familiar with the verbal bull-shit Boris spouted from time to time, and the fact that Boris tried to suck-up like a teacher's pet didn't score many points with Voltaire either.

"…yes sir" answered Boris quietly; his smug look had now vanished. 

Voltaire turned his attention to Kai, "What happened to your face? And why is that damn thing so tight around your neck?" 

"…I…" was all Kai could manage before feeling one of those painful throat lumps you get just before crying, _…I can't tell him…_

Instead, Boris continued on his behalf "Kai simply stood a little too close to the screen, as I've said, Black Dranzer did put on an…impressive…show but unfortunately, Kai here, was caught in the crossfire" _…hopefully the old fool should buy that..._

"…I see," replied Voltaire as he eyed Boris suspiciously__

"The custodial crew will arrive shortly to deal with this mess, come along Kai, I'll take you to the medical department…they'll take care of that little scratch on your face" Boris smiled

Kai stepped back, fearing the worst was yet to come

"Don't be ridiculous!" barked Voltaire, he continued to explain sternly "Mothering the boy will only make him soft and anyway…we don't have time" 

"What do you mean sir?" enquired Boris

Voltaire folded his arms across his chest, glanced at Kai then answered "After a great deal of consideration I have decided; Kai is coming with me…"

"…No…sir! You can't!…what about his training?"  exclaimed Boris; stunned by heartbreak and the thought of losing his little blue haired 'angel'

"Kai has learned all there is to learn here and his skills are vastly superior to his peers; if anything, they are slowing his progress; I feel the time has come to move on to the next stage and from now on I shall personally monitor his training" said Voltaire, he gestured to his grandson "…come here…"

And so Kai obeyed _…He wants me to go with  him?…_cautiously approaching his grandfather; never in a million years expecting what happened next.

Voltaire stooped down, picked him up and held him like a parent carrying a tired child.  Such a rare show of …affection?…  Kai wasn't sure if he liked it especially just after Boris's advances moments earlier, however this was his grandfather and for now he loved him.

  Walking over to look down at the Beyblade chamber below, Voltaire shared his original intention "Black Dranzer was meant for you Kai, I wanted the bit-beast tamed somewhat before giving it to you this night…I wanted you to grow with it, rebuild it's strength, then defy the boundaries and surpass all limits…"

"Sir, it's still possible!…under my guidance Kai will master Black Dranzer" said Boris desperately

Voltaire cast him another look of suspicion before replying "I think he has been under 'your guidance' long enough.  I stand by my decision, I'm taking my grandson"

_…you bastard, the day you die shall be a day I'll cherish… _

Contrary to his bitter thought, Boris answered loyally "…yes sir, of course…"

And with no further farewells or acknowledgement, Voltaire carried Kai away; looking back one last time over his grandfather's shoulder he watched Boris orally mime the words 'I love you' .

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So what happens next?…………………That's for me to know and you to find out!


	2. Plans set in motion

Six years have passed since chapter one, allies and enemies have come and gone and the Bladebreakers have been victorious across the continents of Asia, America and Europe, however Kai's abusive past remains hidden from them and himself, meanwhile in Russia………

An attractive blue-eyed teen walked quickly along the softly lit hall, striding in a moody attitude across the ox-blood colored carpet.  He frowned angrily ..._This is ridiculous.  I'm the best blader Balkov Abbey has to offer…I can't believe I have to run around here like a damn messenger boy…_

"huh?" he suddenly paused and looked over his shoulder as a faint brushing sound, from behind, interrupted his arrogant thoughts. 

Nothing?…..at least nothing he could see, but sounds of movement don't just happen out of nowhere for no reason _…I think this place is finally starting to drive me crazy…_

 Musing to himself about his sanity instead of  giving in to fear.  Fear was unacceptable and yet unavoidable however in Balkov Abbey you quickly learn it's better to be afraid of something you can actually see rather than blind to a potential threat.

  He walked over and gazed out one of the high arch windows, lining the corridor, taking a moment to regain his composure. 

  Outside, the training courtyard lay covered under at least a foot of glistening snow _…I sure feel sorry for the poor son of a bitch who has to clear all of that… _but he didn't really. In fact he didn't feel pity for anyone.

  It was a beautiful color; the snow.  Under the navy evening sky it reflected such a baby shade of powder blue…strangely, he found himself staring at the pretty sight, but not for long _…I've wasted enough time hanging around here… _So once again straight faced with perfect posture he resumed his journey.  _…Voltaire, your grandson is coming, the champion Kai.  I don't know if this news will please you, hardly anything does…_

With his eyes fixed on the floor and his mind occupied by jealousy and frustration he didn't notice the tall, black shrouded figure waltz up behind him… until it was too late…

"Hello Tala"

Tala froze before slowly turning to face his shadowy boss: Boris

"Hello Sir" he greeted coldly

"It's unusual to see you in this neck of the woods" smiled Boris treading ever nearer.

"It wasn't my idea Sir; I'm not here by choice"

"Well then, why are you here?"

"I have some news for Voltaire, but for future reference and with all due respect Sir, I am a professional blader and my job is to win for Biovault not deliver messages.  I'd be grateful if you could inform the 'boys' in the office of that fact"

Boris smirked at Tala's firm tone of voice _…such an arrogant little bastard…_

"Of course Tala, consider it done and by the way… exactly what is it you need to tell Voltaire?" he enquired menacingly

Tala stood contemplating whether or not to share the information he possessed

"Sir I think it would be best if I talk to Voltaire first, after-all the message is for him, it should be his decision to disclose it"

The situation took a turn for the worst as Boris suddenly raged into a fit of anger, snatching out at the scarlet haired youth and pulling him close "Listen to me you insubordinate little prick…I asked you a question now I want the fucking answer before I slit that lovely throat of yours"

Whether it was an empty threat or not, Tala felt he had no choice

"It's Kai…Voltaire's grandson, he's crossed the Russian border he'll arrive in Moscow tomorrow"

Boris slowly released the distressed red-head as a lop-sided grin formed across his face_…Kai…in __Russia__ already_?...

"Good boy, now was that so hard?"

Tala stared back, ready to bolt if Boris made a second attempt to touch him.  He looked exactly how he felt: breathless and stressed

"You've worked yourself up into such a state Tala…I can't let you address Mr Voltaire looking as though you've just seen a ghost…don't worry I'll deliver the message for you…"

Tala waited for Boris to make the first move because past experience had taught him to never turn his back on that maniac.

"Just remember, don't ever try to keep anything from me; I know you inside and out" with that last warning Boris walked away leaving Tala to pull himself together. _…I hate him…I hate this fucking place…_

…………………………………………………………………………….......

"Come in" Voltaire answered plainly to the knock at his office door.

"Good evening Sir" said Boris as he entered

"I have excellent news"

"I'll be the judge of that, now what is it?"

"Sir your grandson has arrived in Russia"

Voltaire looked up from his paper-work and sank back into his black leather chair "prepare Black Dranzer" he ordered

"Yes Sir"

Boris, mildly struck by surprise, had expected Voltaire to show at least a miniscule amount of enthusiasm or excitement

"Sir?  You don't seem appeased; I thought you were anxious to have Kai home"

"Let me remind you Boris, that thanks to your irresponsibility, Kai doesn't even know where 'home' is, his memory was left in shards remember?  It has taken the past six years for me to shape him into the blader he is today and there is still no guarantee he'll join us, despite the plan to offer him Black Dranzer" Voltaire stated angrily

Boris broke eye contact with him as he recalled the fateful night Kai took the unruly bit-beast for a 'joy-ride' almost ending with the complete destruction of a brilliant young mind.

"Boris I want you to organise a little 'welcoming party' for Kai and his friends.  'Break the ice' and keep an eye on my grandson"

"Yes Sir"

  Although not especially close to Kai, Voltaire had remained in contact, however it had been decided that no effort would be made to reincarnate any memories of Balkov Abbey and to Kai Boris would remain obsolete. 

  A hard challenge lay ahead; gaining the love and trust of Kai Hiwatari would be damn near impossible but this didn't faze Boris; his feelings for the young blader hadn't changed: he wanted him and he wanted him badly.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Again, this chapter is more of a scene setter but once the real story starts I'm sure a lot of you will be hooked! ☺


	3. Run rabbit, next time run faster

…And so the story continues and the plot thickens

_The dream is the same every night_

_…"Forget about that beast…You're not good enough Kai"…Don't say that Grandfather…where am I?_

_Red eyes, black mask…who are you?_

_"He's taking you from me"…Good, I hate you…I know I hate you_

_"I've fallen in love with you Kai, just as you've fallen in love with that beast" _

_…The dark bit-beast,…I won't leave him_

_"He's waiting Kai, find him!"_

_A stadium of steel…in a cave? No an underground Beyblade chamber…I see it_

_The blade, it's supposed to be mine…_

_3,2,1 Let it Rip!…………_

_The dream is the same every night_

_The blast-wave hits and his skin tore like burnt paper…_

Kai's body jolted as though it had been electrocuted; there's no wake-up call more effective than a nightmare screwing with your mind. His bright panic struck eyes met with the sight of a dull off-white ceiling and he was barely half a metre away from it. Wasting no time, Kai quickly familiarised himself with his surroundings _…the train…__Russia__…the tournament… what the hell is that dream about?...My past?_

Panic and fright turned to calm and then to frustration, the cause of which were his team-mates:

Crunch, crunch, CRUNCH! was all he could hear as they engaged in some kind of horrendous eating contest game; too busy to have noticed his awakening.

"Alright!" bellowed Tyson "I won!"

"Oh yeah? Well get ready for round two" laughed Max

"By the time we reach Moscow, you guys are gonna be too sick to even stand up straight" said Ray light-heartedly. He didn't take part in their game and instead sat quietly reading a magazine. Kai lay with his hands behind his head and lazily glanced at his team from the top bunk;

_…Why am I doing this? Why are we here? __Europe__ was pointless; they've learned nothing about Beyblading or self-conduct…_

_Immature pigs…and I'm their team captain; no doubt we'll end up the laughing stock of __Russia__…I guess I'll add this to my list of countries where I'll never show my face again_

There were times Kai almost felt a hatred for his team; this was one of them.

"3,2,1 GO!" yelled Tyson, at which point he, Max and Kenny savagely began stuffing their mouths with chocolate, nuts, Doritos and some other shit. Not even the metallic thunder of the train against the rails could drown out their incessant gobbling, crunching and giggling.

Kai cringed rigidly as Tyson stood and announced triumphantly "Hell Yeah! I won again!"

"I guess you're just as good at eating as you are at Beyblading" joked Max, in return Tyson flashed him a gleaming grin.

Ray intervened, "Hey come on guys, we have to get serious if we want to win this tournament"

Dear, sweet Ray Kon could always be relied on to calm the situation _…maybe there is a shred of hope for this team…_but Kai's thought was dashed as Tyson replied

"I am serious…seriously psyched about becoming the world champion! So have you guys prepared your victory speeches yet? Wanna hear mine? As the REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION! I, Tyson shall strive to end international war, third-world hunger…….."

Ray sighed and turned to his team captain as Tyson blabbered on in the background "Sleep well Kai?"

Kenny, who had been giggling at Tyson, stopped to look up at Kai and could see his disapproving facial expression; _…This won't be good!_

"Well, if he's awake I guess that means all the fun is over" Max teased

Tyson halted his 'victory speech' abruptly, stepped up on the bottom bunk, gripped onto the edge of the top one, and made the big mistake of invading Kai's personal air-space, "Hey Sleepy! Guess where we are!" he said loudly, leaning forward narrowing the distance between his face and the side of Kai's to about eight inches.

Kenny continued to observe and worry _…back-off Tyson, you're asking for trouble…_

Kai had no intention of replying to the excited kid's stupid question but this didn't matter because Tyson answered it himself, loudly stating "We're in Moscow!"

'flick' something small and sticky hit Kai's cheek

Upon finishing "We're in Moscow" a rather large badly chewed peanut chunk flew from Tyson's mouth and now stuck to his captain's face. It was coated in chocolate-caramel spit and was no doubt the left over oral debris resulting from the glutton fest minutes earlier.

"…Hey Kai, I'm sorry it was an acc…" but Tyson didn't have time to finish his apology as the now fuming angry team-leader hit-out sending him hurtling backwards and down to the floor of the carriage. Kai viciously wiped the mucky smear from his face and jumped down as if to say 'come on you little pig, we're not finished yet'

"Kai, I'm sorry………I SAID I'M SORRY" cried Tyson, luckily Ray intervened as Max and Kenny looked on. "Hey come on Kai, just chill out ok?" he stood protectively in front of the fallen Tyson and brought his hands up to firmly grip Kai's shoulders, preventing him from going forward any further "…just leave it" he said softly.

Looking down into Tyson's pained gaze Kai could tell his apology was genuine, the kid was practically oozing remorse, so, siding with his leniency, he decided not to make any more of a scene. "Just keep him away from me" and with that he roughly shoved his way out of Ray's hold and casually sat down on the plush red seat next to the window and watched the winter scenery race by.

"Are you alright Tyson?" asked Kenny sympathetically

"…Yeah, it didn't hurt…my 75 year old Grandpa can hit harder than that in his sleep…YOU'RE NOT TOUGH KAI"

"Cool it Tyson" instructed Ray

As the boys tended to their fallen friend Kai sat in his own world of pain; head and body leaning heavily against the cold glass, in a state of unnerving recollection _…red eyes…those damn red eyes…_

Suddenly, something outside caught his attention. It was nothing unusual just a railway sign post: Вы теперь входите в Москву

The symbolic language processed in his mind _…You are now entering __Moscow__…_

His left eyebrow twitched involuntarily; somehow he could read it….. ……he understood the words like a second language,_ …So I know Russian? Tell me all the lies in the world Grandfather; I'll still get to the truth…_

He smirked, slightly, in satisfaction that one by one the clues of his foreign past were coming to him.

Another mental trigger lay in store as Kai saw at the foot of that sign lay what appeared to be a resting rabbit…. however on closer observation it turned out to be dead. As the train passed along, Kai saw the blood stained snow and a metal snare wire around the lifeless creature's neck. He had never felt any kind of special affection for animals but that cruel sight disturbed him deeply and as the image of the suffocated bunny burned in his mind the scarf around his own neck suddenly seemed tight and uncomfortable, he felt a slight increase in body temperature and strangely short of breath… his squabbling team-mates didn't notice…good! he didn't want them to…

_…why is this happening?...I don't care if some long-eared vermin is dead…_

He swallowed hard and shut his eyes, inwardly struggling while remaining motionless, above all else he couldn't alert his team to the problem; his rock-hard pride would never allow it.

Once again he thought back to the dead rabbit. True enough…he didn't care about it's life but then realisation dawned on him…he knew how it felt, he knew the ragged feeling of being strangled and hurt so mercilessly… this was beyond déjà vu; more like déjà estim

Seconds passed and every muscle inside contracted like a pleasureless orgasm but then……nothing. Kai's mind went blank and his body relaxed.

This kind of thing had been happening a lot lately: short interludes of strange feelings, strange memories, mental torture and confusion. Hazy images of people and places, usually dark and empty, graced his mind and freaked him out, these were the components of his childhood which he already knew had been very miserable.

_…Do I want to know?…_

He looked away from the window and sighed as someone sat down next to him...

"Tyson's ok so don't worry about it, I guess the pressure is getting to all of us" said Ray half smiling at his on-off friend "but…I know how you're feeling"

Kai looked at him for a moment in disbelief; tigger had no idea.

Ray continued, "It's like… you just wanna lash out right? There are so many people pushing all the time, friends, family, fans and sometimes it's too much to deal with all at once"

To a certain extent, a level of respect existed between those two boys perhaps because they were slightly older than the others, more mature and had similar cool calm dispositions but mainly because they both took their sport seriously, took a professional attitude and endured hardcore training to prove it.

Kai neither confirmed or denied Ray's incite, he just looked at him for a couple of seconds in that typical 'fuck-off' way leaving Ray wondering why he even bothered to try and help such a moody ungrateful jerk.

It wasn't long before Tyson was back on his feet and once again ranting about his glittering future "I'm gonna be an international celebrity for sure…I guess you guys will too, but lets face it you're nowhere near as photogenic as me"

Ray sighed knowing full well that 'kids will be kids' and his hyper friend had a lot of growing up to do.

"I can't wait to live the super-star life! From now on it's gonna be nothing but limos, mansions, parties and really cute girls!" exclaimed Tyson, beaming with excitement

"Girls?.....You're joking right?" giggled Max

"Yeah, no offence Tyson but you're hardly Romeo Montague; girls run a mile when they see you!" added Ray

"Oh really? Well maybe you can let me in on some of your moves Casanova!" retaliated Tyson

"What moves? I don't know what you're talking about" said Ray as he broke eye-contact and blushed

"Don't play dumb! You go through girls faster than I go through attack discs…. What about that Mariah chick? she was totally hot for you!" stated Tyson loudly

"Hey come on leave her out of this! It's not like that " insisted Ray who, by this point, had become quite bashful, wishing he hadn't antagonised his star-struck friend

"…And there was Frankie! We all saw you wink at her, telling her she was awesome…and…and that super model J. Heart she really liked you! In fact I'm pretty sure she even wrote her phone number on that autograph! Let me see it!" yelled Tyson as he lunged towards Ray's bag, luckily Ray was quick enough to pull it away in time "Tyson stop it! Calm down! you're acting so childish…and you wonder why Kai doesn't want to hang out with us" he scalded

"I gotta agree, we can't kid around anymore, the tournament is close and we need to buckle down to some last minute training" added Max even though it wasn't really like him to be so serious

"Last minute training is a waste of time…" they all turned to face Kai, "If you aren't good enough by now, there's no way you'll improve in time for the tournament"

"This is ridiculous!" exclaimed Tyson "I try to have fun, and you guys tell me to get serious, and when we plan to actually get serious and train you're saying it's a waste of time! Ahhhhhhhggggggghhhh! I just can't win with you guys!"

"So what do you suggest we do in the meantime Kai?" asked Kenny timidly

Kai looked at them as if it took a great deal of effort to do so and replied "Get used to the idea of losing… I have"

"You jerk! Would it kill you to have a little faith in our team for once?!" yelled Tyson

Kai stood up "I've watched you, all of you, make some sloppy moves for one reason or another" he looked at Max "whether it's because moms' watching" he looked at Ray "or you're more interested in the female competition" and finally to Tyson "or you just simply lack the necessary skill, this 'team' has come too close to utter defeat because you allow yourselves to get distracted and complacent"

The boys burned with anger at their captain's cutting words

"Take that back now! We've all worked just as hard if not harder than you to get this far" cried Tyson who right now seemed to take the role of spokesman over the others "And we'll show Russia, China, America and anyone else who wants to mess with us that we are the best!"

Kai frowned in annoyance"…Listen to me…kid, the Russian bladers will be like nothing you've ever fought before, I can promise you Voltaire doesn't fuck around when it comes to putting a team out, his Demolition Boys are selected from the Blitzkrieg elite"

"Blitzkrieg elite? Kai what are you talking about? You're the current champion, have you battled in Russia before?" enquired Ray

Kai sighed deeply before walking past his confused and angry team, he paused in the carriage door-way "Does it matter? I've lived, I've learned and that's all you need to know" the end of his white scarf disappeared out of sight as he left them to ponder his words, his warning and their tournament fate.


	4. Baited & Caught

Hi guys! Is everyone enjoying my story so far? Anyway there's something I'd like to point out, in G Revolution the Demolition Boys are now called the Blitzkrieg Boys right? Well they are a Russian team right? I kind of think their new name is inappropriate because in World War 2 the Nazis used Blitzkrieg to bomb the hell out of Russia, I mean that's like a bunch of Beybladers from New York proudly calling themselves the 9/11 Massacre Crew!

Kai watched as the gang hurried to gather their coats and bags with sweet childish eagerness; it had been a long journey and the boys were more than ready to leave the confines of their carriage.

"Man! I can't wait to get out there!" exclaimed Max

Kai slung his bag over his shoulder, the fact that they were so excited annoyed him to the core but inwardly he shared their desperate desire to unboard…umpteen hours on a train with bad company can really 'turn' a guy.

"I'm outta here!" announced Tyson he then rushed without thinking and pushed through the-not-yet-fully-open doors of the train and jumped down onto the busy station platform "HEY RUSSIA! MAKE WAY FOR THE BLADEBREAKERS!!!!" he yelled……..

Kai frowned angrily, only three seconds in Moscow and Tyson had already made a twenty-four carat, grade-A dick-head out of himself _…this has got to be a new record…_

Luckily the climatic sub-zero temperature forced the over-confident kid into silence and left him shivering madly in front of the unimpressed crowd. Kenny giggled then threw his frozen friend a light blue 'official' BBA coat/cloak thing?

"Thanks Chief, but you could have given me this sooner" complained Tyson. Kenny also passed one to Kai "Here you go!" he said with a smile. Reluctantly, Kai took it and stared at the tacky garment with a great amount of disapproval; his original plan had been to either walk a few steps ahead or behind the rest of the team and completely disown them so people would not associate him with the Bladebreakers in any way…… but with the 'good old' team logo plastered across his back there was no escaping his tight link with the 'kiddie brigade'

Somewhere far across the platform, hidden by crowds and distance, two sneaky spies observed the actions of their future competition:

"They're here…" Tala smirked

"Those guys are the Bladebreakers?...I can't believe Boris is making such a big deal over this" sneered Ian

Tala's gaze narrowed as he looked at Kai and studied his attractive features; tall and athletic with hair of dusky platinum-blue and blackest indigo, he couldn't define the exact colour of his eyes but he knew they were dark…

"There he is…"

"Who?" asked Ian

"Voltaire's grandson, we're supposed to watch out for him in battle…apparently he's good…"

"Oh really?" replied Ian sarcastically "Hey! Maybe he's better than you"

"Shut-up… It's time to move on to the second phase of the plan, let's go. …Boris is waiting in Red Square" stated Tala.

Back with the Bladebreakers:

Kai was last to step off the train leaving behind the warm grace of central-heating. Outside the sky was a grey mixture of clouds, pollution and fog which seemed to reflect the personality of the passing strangers…every single person looked depressed…maybe they had good reason? Afterall, it's not like this was Disneyland, Kai and his team were now in a country where the mafia moves faster than the military, nuclear radiation poisons the land and the freezing air hits damn hard, like a drunken, abusive husband to his wife but this was normal for Russia and familiar to Kai.

Red Square:

Two boys lurked menacingly by one of the outer walls of Lenin's Mausoleum; Bryan and Spencer. They, like every other blader on Biovaults' team, had been trained non-stop to near perfection. Bryan: perhaps the most ruthless Demolition Boy of all? looked icy and mean with pale mauve hair and elongated side-burns. Then there was Spencer: 17 years old but he was big for his age and built like a body-builder who had been knocked into shape by Arnold Schwarzenegger; he too looked quite intimidating with a hard expression and an army haircut.

"Do you think Tala found them?" asked Bryan

"…Now's your chance to ask him" replied Spencer, grinning

Bryan followed his gaze looking behind to see Tala approach and judging by the excited glint in his blue eyes there was no doubt he had indeed located the Bladebreakers and more importantly, Kai.

"So? What do you make of Voltaire's grandson and his team?" enquired Bryan

"…Why are you so desperate to know? Are you scared of them?" retorted Tala

"No, just curious" stated Bryan

Tala smirked "Kids…They're just kids"

"I see" said Bryan, though no one quite knew what he meant by that

"Has Boris issued any further orders?" asked Tala

"No, we just have to make sure those kids are in position over by the Cathedral, according to Boris their hotel is in that direction and so is he…after that the situation is out of our hands" explained Spencer

"Alright then its show-time" announced Tala. Bryan reached into his backpack, propped against the wall, and pulled out two Beyblades still in their original packaging right from the toy-store shelf, he tossed one over to Tala and kept the other for himself; they both ripped the clear plastic covering from the backing-card and threw the litter straight on the floor. These blades were to be used as bait because using their own professional battle tops in public would raise suspicion especially with Kai who was, supposedly, a very clever character.

"We'll aim for Tyson and Max, the kid with the baseball cap and the American with blonde hair…although they seem to come through well in competition, our profiles show they can be extremely…. gullible" said Tala militantly as he and his team crossed the paved surface of Red Square.

Meanwhile the Bladebreakers struggled with the current quest of finding their hotel….

"Errrr….errrr….hmmmm….I think it says…ummm" stammered Kenny

"This is hopeless!!!!!!!" exclaimed Tyson who was growing ever impatient

Ray looked over Kenny's shoulder at the puzzling directions "Don't worry guys we'll find it……eventually" he said in a not-so-sure way….

Kai studied this 'new' world around him as he stood a short distance away from the others, the shape of the buildings, the lay of the land and the Cyrillic language spoken by the natives…..everything seemed to settle with a sense of belonging which left him feeling uneasy. He sighed heavily and caught up with the team _…they can't even follow simple directions?..._

"Let me see that" he said to the back of Kenny's head who then turned around quickly "Huh?....oh…sure" replied the 'Chief' who always cowered and became nervous whenever he was confronted with Kai…as though he thought Kai was going to hurt him or something. Kenny passed the directions to him and waited for a response.

_…_Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street…_The Palace Hotel?...Grandfather you really are too kind…_

"Follow me" ordered Kai as he gave the scrap of paper back and walked on ahead; without bothering to check if the others were following.

"…That guy drives me nuts!" exclaimed Tyson who didn't really care whether Kai heard him or not

"Hey lay off him Tyson, it's been a long journey, he probably just wants to get to the hotel and chill-out…I sure know I want to" explained Ray

"Yeah! I bet you're right" agreed Max

"I know he can be difficult, he's a loner…that's just the way he is" concluded Ray as he watched Kai walk further and further away.

"Why are you always trying to stand up for that jerk?…Do you 'like' him or something?" teased Tyson, immaturely nudging him in the arm.

"…Get real" Ray sighed before following after Kai

As the Bladebreakers trudged along with their captain, a strange feeling started to bug them: of all the countries they had visited over the past year Russia seemed to be the most unwelcoming. There were lots of kids blading in the streets and parks but they weren't laughing or having fun and offered no invitation to battle, instead they stopped and stared darkly, as if to say 'Who are you foreigner? Why are you in my country and more to the point when are you leaving?' Kai caught on straight away and briefly glanced at the other boys to see how they were reacting to this weird air of Nazi strength hostility. He looked at Ray specifically _…you feel it, don't you?…_

Nearby:

"Assume your positions now" ordered Tala

Bryan grinned as he held his loaded launcher out in front "I haven't done it for fun like this since I was a kid……..such sweet memories"

Dizzi the laptop suddenly came to life "Are we there yet?" her voice drew Kai's attention to Kenny who had decided to adorn his head with the most ridiculous hat he had ever seen; it looked like a dead racoon _…you think that is Russian?...Pathetic…_

"Wow! Look at this place, I wish we had time to check out the sights right now" exclaimed Kenny in attempt to start up some kind of conversation

"Yeah…that would be great" agreed Max, even though they knew 'the captain' would never authorise such 'a waste of time'

The tourism aspect of Moscow didn't appeal to Kai. He didn't see it as a brand new adventure; in fact it felt more like going back to see the same movie for a second time where all the scenes and sounds grow old and boring.

Tyson had been quiet for a while, to be honest he was thoroughly pissed off _…Stupid blue haired jerk…always ruining everything…dissing the team non-stop… thinks he's so damn cool…_ His moody concentration was unexpectedly broken as something lightly tapped against his foot "Wha..? A beyblade?"

"Got him!" Tala confirmed, he stood proudly admiring his own skill, due to the fact it was quite an achievement to cover such distance with an amateur blade intended for child's play unlike pro-blades which clear the distance effortlessly and shred everything along the way.

"Hey that kid lost it!...I guess he's just a beginner" remarked Tyson as he picked up the toy and forgot he was supposed to be feeling angry

Ray wasn't so sure it had been an accident, his senses were sharp and he could judge most situations accurately "…Don't you think he looks a little too old for a beginner?" he asked with suspicion

Kai looked across at the grinning owner of the beyblade, and decided he felt the same as Ray _…accident?...I don't think so…_

"Let's give it back!" said Tyson "And since I'm in such a generous mood I might even slip him a couple of battle tips!"

"You're so big-headed" Max joked

Tyson ignored him and began waving his arms madly, yelling "Hey! Hey kid! I got your blade over here!"

Kai continued to study the red-haired teen and frowned as a throbbing headache began to develop _…__Ray was right. You're not a beginner…I know this because you were trained like me…with me…here?_

Tyson dashed down the wet stone slope flanked by piles of snow and headed in Tala's direction "Don't worry I got it! Right here!"

Tala turned to the other three "…start walking". Without question they complied and left Tyson chasing behind "Waaaaaaaait! I have your beyblade!"

Suddenly Max bolted after him _…it sure would be cool to make friends with some Russian kids…_

Kenny giggled and trotted along as well, leaving Ray alone with Kai. "…I get the feeling that guy was looking for trouble".

Kai didn't answer, instead he slowly began making his way after the rest of the team, this caused Ray to lose his temper slightly "Kai!...Are we walking into a trap?"

Kai stopped at the base of the slope and looked back "You don't have to come…"

It wasn't a proper answer but Ray knew it was the best he could get out of Kai; today he was in super-jerk mode.

_…Kai, you know more than what you're letting on…_

"he's gaining on us!" whispered Ian, he glanced back at Tyson again

"Shut-up and keep moving!" Tala shoved him which made Bryan and Spencer laugh slightly

"Assholes" cursed Ian under his breath, lucky for him the others didn't hear.

St Basil's Cathederal now loomed before them and the Bladebreakers continued to follow in hot pursuit

"Where is Boris? I don't see him" said Tala as he scanned the area, "Maybe we got the wrong place?" suggested Ian which earned him some angry glares.

Unknown to any of them, Boris was very close doing what he did best: lurking like a shadow among the high surrounding statues and walls. He smiled slyly upon seeing the Demolition Boys because he knew that behind them his precious Kai was following whichever fool Tala had managed to lure.

"What's his problem? Why won't he stop" asked Tyson completely baffled

"Forget it, come on lets go" said Kai firmly

"No way!"

Backed against the locked metal gates of the Cathedral, and without anywhere left to flee the Demolition Boys were now faced with Tyson who was looking for an explanation.

"Why are you running away? I have your Beyblade, don't you want it back?"

"…Of course he does" came a smooth voice; Boris appeared somewhere to the side of the two groups "Say thank-you Tala" he smiled

Kai froze and felt numb like a corpse as the strange, tall, shrouded man passed by; meanwhile the rest of the team stood cautiously waiting for this guy to introduce himself. Boris stopped in front of Tala, who inwardly burned with fury at the patronizing comment _…say thank-you?...go to hell…_

"I recognise you five, you're the Bladebreakers, champions of Asia, Europe and America …believe me you have no idea how much of a 'pleasure' it is to finally meet you" it was a slightly overbearing greeting but he was charming and well-spoken so Tyson figured Russian people of high class society always acted this way.

"My name is Boris Balkov and this is my team, the Demolition Boys"

_…Boris Balkov?…_

Kai flinched and felt as though a ball of solid lead dropped within his stomach.

"Errr well Boris it's good to meet you too, hey guys don't you think it's awesome that our rep has spread so far!? So does Tala want this back or what?" said Tyson as he held out the Beyblade. Tala didn't like this setup, it had not been part of the original plan, he was beginning to lose his temper and it showed. "Come on Tala, I know you can be nicer than this" said Boris

"Kai…are you ok?" whispered Ray to his pale friend, he knew something wasn't right.

Meanwhile Tala came forward to Tyson and took the blade from his hand a little harsher than necessary. "So you're a Demolition Boy huh? Well I guess we'll be facing each other in the tournament"

"…maybe" replied Tala; he couldn't help feeling quite amused by this kid's pointless enthusiasm but for now he had fulfilled his orders and wanted to get the hell out of there. He looked at Kai one last time before leaving with Bryan, Ian and Spencer.

"He really isn't so bad once you get to know him" Boris chuckled

"That might be true but I'm more interested in defeating him rather than getting better acquainted" replied Tyson

"Such determination is admirable Tyson, but on a more serious note Tala's behaviour was out of line, as his coach I feel I am responsible so please accept my invitation to take your team to lunch as a way of apologising; afterwards I can arrange for you to be dropped off at your hotel"

Tyson instantly perked up at the thought of a free meal "That sounds great! Sure we accept!"

Max and Kenny also shared in the excitement, even Ray lightened up thinking perhaps he had been wrong to get so suspicious before but for Kai it was a completely different story. He didn't want to go but how could he walk away after the invitation had already been accepted? If he did it would make him weird and bad-mannered in the eyes of his team but on the other hand why should he allow himself to be dragged along in the company of someone who freaked him out?_…what do you want from me Boris?... _

Surely this kind of peer-pressure was reserved for teenage girls about to go on a date with a boyfriend who expected sex straight after. Kai couldn't remember the last time he had felt such insecurity, but rest assured, the memory was there somewhere.

Someone e-mailed me questioning why I had categorised this fic as romance and asked if the couple was Boris & Kai …..short answer: no way! And there will be romance; the pairing in Wicked Blue shall be Mariah & Kai!......Do you think I'm joking?


	5. EnGuarde!

In the mood for 'Wicked Blue'? …

Kai sat down next to Ray; he always sat next to Ray; on planes, trains, boats, cars, everywhere. Just seemed like the only logical choice; friendship had nothing to do with it. Kai had chosen not to befriend Ray Kon or anyone else on the team and rejected them at every turn. They couldn't understand his anti-social behaviour but guessed he had his reasons: Maybe not enough hugs from mom? Too much time in boarding school? Hanging with the wrong crowd?...............Whatever, it really didn't matter how they felt or what they thought about him, the team was only temporary _…one last tournament, it marks the end of the Bladebreakers…I hope __Dickinson__ had fun playing God, he won't get the pleasure next time…_Would there be a next time? Yeah, but not in Russia…too many bad memories and even worse feelings, like the kind stirring at that very moment as he caught Boris smiling at him for the forth time in two minutes. No-one else noticed they were too trusting and naive.

_…Get a grip…get a damn grip…he's just some whacked out loser playing Count Dracula dress-up games…probably a psyche-out tactic to give his team the edge… _

Kai's delusional thoughts played in his mind as the other boys indulged in a selection of rich Russian cuisine. They seemed happy enough, Tyson had some kind of sauce around his mouth; Typical! Kai sat glumly, hating the way this lunch-date made him feel: awkward, nervy and uncomfortable. Boris stared from time to time, deliberately making eye-contact and casting 'you wanna fuck?' looks. Whether he meant it or not was open to interpretation _... Creep… _Kai thinking perhaps it was another way ofknocking his confidence in order to sway his battle performance. Across the table Tyson ate with his gob open using a dessert spoon to shovel even more food into his already full mouth. _…How did someone so tactless ever defeat me? He's sloppy, careless, undisciplined…it makes no sense, but then again, neither does anything else in my life…_

Kai found himself trying to block out everything around him and focused on his coffee; it was losing heat and turning cooler by the second. Unlike the others he had chosen not to eat.

Boris could see clearly how his presence disturbed the boy _…What do you remember? Surely not everything, leave it to your imagination… _

A gentle conversation ensued:

"So you have travelled here straight from Europe? Tell me, which countries did you visit?" enquired Boris

Tyson looked up from his plate "Huh? Europe? Oh yeah! It was great! Let's see…we stayed in Italy, France and Britain"

"It certainly sounds like you had fun; you must have met some interesting people"

"Yeah no kidding! There were these guys called the Dark Bladers, man I thought they were gonna kill us but they turned out to be cool in the end"

"Dark Bladers? Ah yes the team that dabble in the occult, I hope they didn't cause too much trouble I've heard those young men tend to go a little overboard with their hijinx"

Tyson swallowed the chewed contents of his mouth "It was scary at first in London but Kai was all like 'Hey! Bring it on Freak' and he kicked Cenotaph's ass!"

Ray nudged Tyson sharply "watch your language"

"Oh … sorry!"

"It's quite alright, I'm glad Kai fended off such troublesome pests…in the face of danger a real man will always risk his own safety for his comrades; I commend such bravery"

Kai didn't respond however Tyson continued "It wasn't all doom and gloom though! My favourite place was Paris where we met Oliver he's such a great chef! And we saw the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and statues of guys with swords from the old days" he raised his dinner knife "Hey Max! EnGuarde!"

Max laughed and joined in playfully with the 'swordfight'. The two boys giggled as their knives clashed; some diners in the restaurant looked on in confusion, others in amusement.

_...I don't believe this… _Kai couldn't stand it any longer, his team-mates were annoying him and as for Boris…he had 'issues' with Boris. Enough was enough.

"Excuse me" he said lowly, picked up his bag, then slid out of his seat and made a brisk exit out of the restaurant.

Discourteous? Maybe, but your manners don't hold out long when you seem to recall the guy sitting opposite with his hand on your nine year old groin; a moment longer in there and Kai would have snapped completely.

Out at last! It hadn't felt this good to be outside since getting off the train. Quickly he turned a corner, no doubt by now Ray had volunteered to seek and calm him but Kai was in no mood for a 'team spirit' chat and so it was important to get lost and stay lost until he felt ready to catch up with the other boys later at the hotel.

Sure enough he heard someone call his name "Kai!" his guess had been flawless: Ray. Kai turned another corner, gathering speed in his pace and headed down a dark back alley with disintegrating brickwork on either side. Again Ray called out "Kai!"

_…he's getting closer… _moving quickly Kai jogged to the end of the path blocked by 12ft wire fencing _…no problem… _he leapt up then pulled himself over the top, causing the tight cords of cold metal to rub against his body but fortunately getting down on the other side was less of an obstacle. One weightless fall and Kai was gone.

The end of the alley along with the fence now stood in Ray's sight. He instantly deduced where his distressed captain had fled and although it was not out of his capability to continue he knew better than to pursue Kai when he obviously wanted to be alone. Ray had made that mistake once before though he never told Tyson, Max or Kenny

_…What's up with you? Is it this place? Is it __Russia__Moscow__? What?..._

It happened late one night in Paris over the River Seine. Following Kai through the city of light after he had stormed out of their hotel room; eventually stopping on a bridge. Ray remembered how Kai turned to face him, angry and stubborn "Go back now!" he ordered

"Kai you were having a bad dream, just tell me about it I won't say anything to the others I promise…everyone has nightmares it's nothing to be ashamed of" His stomach knotted and sank as Kai climbed on to the sculptured stone bridge-wall

"Do I have to jump to get away from you? Maybe the river can give me some solitude"

He meant it. Ray could read it in the boys' dark eyes

"Ok…I'll go"

Another lesson learned the hard way; Kai wanted to be alone. End of story.

An icy breeze flowed through the back roads like swift water in a river. It was truly cold but Kai didn't regret leaving behind his Bladebreaker blue winter coat; he would rather freeze looking cool than traipse around in a fashion hazard. Finally he felt certain Ray had no chance of catching up which meant now he could slow his pace to a walk.

_…This city isn't new to me. I know that now. Grandfather why have you really brought me here? The world tournament is bullshit, just a media circus, promotional hype to make the fat-cats at Hasbro even richer…but don't worry I'll win it for you just like I promised…_

The narrow path stopped and opened out into a clear area the size of your average school playground, enclosed by the backs of shop and business buildings with even more alleys and passages running between them. Before Kai could decide upon his next move he heard some voices not too far away…

"Face it, we're lost"

"Don't be ridiculous, I know exactly where to go"

"Lee let's get back to the main road and ask for directions"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

_…Lee?...The White Tigers!... _They were close and Kai did not want them to see him; looking up, he found a suitable escape route. He jumped and pulled himself up some black iron railing and waited on the high balcony it guarded; he had a perfect view of everything below and as long as he kept still and silent no-one would ever guess he was there…

"I'm telling you Mariah this is a shortcut!"

"How can you know a shortcut in a country you've never even been to?"

Kai observed their argument from his hiding place above. Seeing the White Tigers brought back nostalgic memories of the Asian Tournament, those hot sticky summer days seemed years in the past back when the Bladebreakers had barely formed and cold Russia was only a distant worry but a lot of crazy shit had happened since then and Kai no longer viewed the White Tigers as formidable opponents or a challenge. He still wanted to face them but only in the name of fun for his own amusement. He smiled slightly _…Lee, have you still got some black lightening for me?... _The White Tigers' most powerful attack and Kai already knew how to defuse it. A battle with Lee would definitely make for some entertainment; that young man was so hot-headed he couldn't control his temper. The joy lay in flaring Lee's anger then watching him fall in defeat and jealousy.

"Lee, Mariah is right! We need to ask for directions" Kevin insisted

"All of you shut-up!"

"But Lee!" Kevin tried to continue

"Hey! Who is the team leader here?"

"…you are"

"Right! Know what that means? It means you follow my orders! Got that?"

Kevin turned away and sulked, he then felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder "huh?"

"Don't worry Kevin, he doesn't mean it" Mariah drew him into a soft reassuring hug "He's just in a bad mood because we're lost and it's his fault"

At times like these Kevin saw the advantage to being short, it meant he got a facefull of Mariah's voluptuous chest as she soothed and comforted him. He wasn't even upset anymore and sighed blissfully as he hugged back in return.

"What's going on here? I thought you liked Ray!" exclaimed Lee

"I can hug anyone I want… so there" she replied blushing and let go of Kevin

"Whatever, come on let's go. This place …sucks" said Lee, looking around suspiciously.

"See Kevin? He's ok now" Mariah assured before starting on a different subject "I hope we see Ray soon, he's bound to be here with the Bladebreakers"

"Those guys are alright, especially Max" remarked Gary who until now had remained quiet.

Kevin still hadn't quite forgiven Lee for the attitude attack moments ago so he commented innocently "I bet Ray really missed you Mariah, he probably couldn't stop thinking about you this whole time…and when we find him he'll wanna hug you and kiss you and…"

"Kevin! Quit it" she giggled and Lee sighed impatiently

_…It gets to you doesn't it, the thought of her with him, don't worry Lee it will all end in heartbreak and if you're lucky you can catch her on the rebound while she's still vulnerable…_

The White Tigers headed back out on to the main road and Kai thought for a moment about Ray's post-tournament future…

Naturally he would return home, rejoin his original team, train with them for a while then leave all over again…but what about his love life? Where would Mariah fit in? Ray was a good guy and he genuinely cared for her but his problem was that he fell in love three times a day whether it was with the air hostess, the waitress or even the chick who restocked the mini-bar in the hotel room. He was a flirter and a sweet-talker of female-kind however he would never hurt or insult Mariah by committing himself then cheating on her. Kai knew Ray well enough to realise he did not want to be trapped in a relationship which would tie him down, stop him from travelling and inevitably end because of his 'friendly' behaviour towards other girls.

_…Women. Ray's weakness, he'll lose his virginity before he's even old enough to drive…_

So what would happen to Mariah? Kai didn't really care. She wasn't his concern…yet.

I welcome all reviews…though I don't really see the point in anyone telling me not to make my fic Kai/Mariah. They will get together in this story…Don't like? Don't read! But you'll miss out on all the fun .


	6. Defeated opponent, Alexander the creep

It's getting there……………

* * *

**Outside the restaurant:**

"We're really sorry about Kai running off like that" Kenny apologised, he looked up at Boris as he spoke, hoping for a soft, forgiving face

"Maybe he didn't feel well" suggested Max

"Perhaps you're right…we should wait for him to come back" replied Boris with a gentle expression just as little Kenny had wished for

"No, its ok……Kai knows what he's doing; he'll catch up later" explained Ray walking towards them

"Did you find him? Is he alright?" enquired Boris who seemed to care more than he should

"Something like that…" Clearly Ray didn't want to give too much away to a stranger or, more accurately, someone he thought might have been the cause of Kai's upset in the first place

"Who cares! I'm sick of his mood swings" snapped Tyson "He's always doing stuff like this……..just a lousy attention seeker"

No one challenged that statement, perhaps they agreed or maybe they just didn't want to aggravate him further…

In the end Boris broke the silence warmly "It's been a long and 'eventful' day, I'm sure once Kai feels tired he'll come to his senses and return to you. Does he know where your hotel is? I think it would be a good idea to wait for him there"

"Yeah …you're probably right…" Max remarked

None of the other guys said anything but stood in a kind of silent agreement

"Well then, I'll leave you to it, good luck with Kai …and, of course, the tournament"

An expensive looking black car pulled up at the street curb and a young guy dressed in a long dark outfit, very similar to Boris, emerged from the passenger side and walked round to open the back seat door

"Goodbye Bladebreakers…"

the creepy chauffeur slid in after him

"Goodbye Mr Balkov…oh, and thanks for lunch" chirped Kenny politely

One last dangerous smile and Boris drove away.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Wasn't he supposed to be giving us a lift?" Tyson exclaimed loudly

"I guess he got offended at Kai leaving like that…" suggested Max as he adjusted the bag strap over his shoulder

"Dammit! Kai!" Tyson cursed

"Let's get going" said Ray lowly.

After an arduous foot journey and a few wrong turns the shivering boys arrived and checked in at the hotel. The Palace Hotel. It was sheer luxury and they made themselves well at home: bags dumped, TV on, mini fridge raided and pillow fort erect.

Meanwhile…

The lowlife crowd gasped around him in the grim dark lane lit only by a small glowing bonfire. Another crushing victory for Kai. He had occupied his evening by engaging in street battles with the toughest bladers he could find but so far none had proven a worthy match; in truth he was hoping to bump into Tala or at least one member of the demolition gang, he figured this would be their kind of hangout _…too good for the street these days Tala? … _

Kai held out one hand and his Beyblade returned obediently; his ex-opponent bent down to pick his up like a loser.

"Cool match, you out-classed a lot of players tonight……" the kid complimented in a friendly sort of way.

"…Flattery doesn't work on me. The battle is over as is this conversation"

"Hey, I'm not trying bullshit you….I'm just saying you're good…….very good. Ever had any 'special' training?"

"My training is my business" replied Kai firmly, he didn't feel anyone had the right to ask such a question. The onlookers began to break up and disband leaving the two boys talking alone.

"Of course, its a personal thing right?…but sometimes it helps to have people and power on your side; in fact, we have some of the best blader gang training facilities in the world right here in Moscow"

"…look, I'm sick of this place, and I'm sick of wasting my time with you"

"Walk away if you want but this is an opportunity to be taught by the best! Don't you wanna go for it? Don't you wanna be part of the elite?"

Kai studied him for a couple of seconds, he had a creepy drunk look in his violet eyes, fairly young 13 or 14 years old, pale skin, mousey coloured hair styled back in military spikes…

"…Just what are you getting at kid?"

"Don't call me 'kid'! …My name is Alexander and I know who you are Kai" he said loudly and very serious

"Sure, whatever you say…" Kai turned to walk away

Alexander scowled angry and very pissed-off at being dismissed as a pestbut he knew just how to knock the arrogant prick off his high horse "…Balkov Abbey" he stated

It worked. Kai froze, those words acted like verbal tranquilizer. Alexander approached and took something out of his coat pocket, holding it out. A business card? It read: Balkov Abbey, North East District, City Border, 'True power is not earned, it is taken' Slowly Kai took it, the printed motto rekindled forgotten memories, fear, hate, pain and……pride…

Alexander smirked slightly "Don't you think its time to ditch that BBA shit and be part of something serious instead?"

Kai gripped the card tight "…Fuck-you" he said calmly

"I guess I'll see you later then…feel free to drop by anytime" Alexander left, satisfied that he managed to spook him.

Kai felt sick, how could that weirdo have the power to stir up such personal torment? _…Balkov Abbey…True Power…The Blitzkrieg Elite…Boris…Voltaire…Dranzer, No! Black Dranzer? …_

* * *

Plenty of horror, adventure and romance to follow.


	7. Demon Dreaming

Wicked Blue from me to you…

It was very late. Way past bedtime and gone midnight. Falling asleep hadn't been a problem for the other boys but for some reason Max just couldn't drift off ………he was thinking about his mom again. He often wondered and sometimes even wished that he was a part of the All Starz team. Imagine that. He could train, live and be with his mom all the time, it would mean no more Bladebreakers but when you're missing your mom things like loyalty don't seem so important. He also missed America, the lifestyle, the people, the sports and going to the cinema and seeing the latest movies months before anyone else in the world!

His family spent so much time apart which felt awful sometimes but absence makes the heart grow fonder and so the Tate family really treasured and appreciated the time they spent together. Max would always get so excited whenever it was time to pick his mom up from the Airport, nagging his dad to drive faster.

The reunions were fantastic, Max would run into Judy's arms then they would all go out for dinner where no expense was spared, at bed time Max would get tucked in by his mom and dad and it was all smiles and cuddles in the glow of his night-light…until his parents went to bed, then it would start…the sounds of panting and moaning as they fucked like horny pigs.

Max would shove his head under his pillows to try and block it all out but it never worked, he always heard their 'make-up-for-lost-time' sex, and found he couldn't sleep – temporary insomnia; just like tonight.

Max laid facing Ray's back; the sleeping arrangements were more or less the same as ever. Mr Dickinson would normally book one hotel room containing two large beds and then it was a matter of two boys in one bed and three in the other. It got awkward sometimes. Tyson was hell to sleep with and Kai treated the whole team like lepers. Tonight Kenny had agreed to bunk with Tyson, and so Max and Ray were paired up by default.

Max's eyelids began to feel heavy as the night grew later and later then for a brief moment he felt a cool breeze against his face; next came a heavy shift behind him in bed.

Kai!

He had finally made it back to the team.

Ray appeared to be sleeping which meant Max had Kai to himself.

The dark settled as still as the boys in their beds although Max secretly wanted to turn so he could take in more of the icy fresh air clinging to Kai but eventually his eyes fell shut as the combination of dark, calm and silence sent them both to sleep.

…_Kai dreams…_

_Black, pure black. I'm alone again, locked away beneath the earth behind iron bars._

_I can feel the heat of hell_

…_He's coming for me, he loves me, he wants to fuck me…_

_He will try, just like he said he would._

_How do I stop this? There is no way out!_

_I don't want his kisses…they hurt._

_His touch burns my skin._

_I can only wait, wait here in my prison._

…_Something is not the same, he should be here by now…_

_I hear footsteps but they are not his_

…_echoing light footsteps…_

_What else?...perfume in the air?..._

_A stranger shrouded and hooded in black…wait! you're different, you are not him_

_There is no presence of threat or evil……_

"_Who are you? I want to know why you're here"_

"_Fate and destiny have changed Kai. You have enough demons, want an angel? Take me"_

…_A girl? An angel?..."I don't believe in angels"_

_She moves closer, the bars stand between us. I snatch out at her cloak and pull it from her…_

"_No! This doesn't make sense! How?"_

…_Mariah…_

_Her body scantily covered by a few sultry white satin sashes…Something is wrong with her. Her eyes are pale and glazed over…tranced, her face is expressionless and her voice is almost monotone_

"_It seems impossible Kai, just like escaping this prison"_

_I try hard to draw suspicion against her but I find myself accepting her as a pure apparition._

"_There is no way out, I have tried escaping hundreds of times…if you don't leave now he will get you; he's coming" _

"_Then we must hurry, I don't think we could survive his anger"_

_Crazy. Crazy bitch._

_I'm standing too close, she reaches out to me through the prison bars, her touch is fluid and gentle…moving down the side of my body, down my leg like foreplay, her hand stops on the pocket of my combat pants, she delves in and pulls out my beyblade…wait!...it's not mine. It's different. A black Dranzer insignia…_

"_KAI!"_

_His voice barks from nowhere, he will be here in seconds_

_I look at Mariah fiercely "If you're stupid enough to stay here then you deserve whatever torture he lays on you" I meant that to be harsh, I want her to go...…so she doesn't see what he does to me_

_She holds the blade with both hands and dismantles it effortlessly_

"_This blade and its beast are weak Kai, they have no master"_

_I lose my temper "Fuck the blade, just get out of here now!" shouting doesn't faze her_

_I'm shocked…she pulls a small silver key from the blade components and swiftly inserts it into the lock of my cell, it turns unaided and the iron bars rise._

_Free. For the first time in my dreams._

_Should I thank her? Attack her? Kiss her?_

_No time to decide. I have to run._

_I take off leaving Mariah to do her own thing. I am determined to get out of hell's cell block with or without her._

_Looking back I see her……frozen to the spot. _

_She can see him_

_So can I…_

_Red eyes burning with evil_

_Masked and cloaked to hide his identity in black_

_Is there any point in running?_

"_Kai…don't let him hurt me" Mariah pleads sounding more like her normal self_

"_Help me Kai!"_

_He laughs satanically_

"_You are in the wrong place whore. Has heaven sent you to tempt my young men?"_

_Shit…he's going for her, she backs away_

_I can hear him breathing_

_I'm scared for myself…and her_

_His concentration breaks from Mariah as he notices my bar-less prison._

"_Mariah!" I go for her arm and drag her alongside me as I run. Thankfully she picks up speed and we sprint through the jail lane together._

_He roars monstrously, the ground in front is suddenly lit by fire from behind us…_

_The pain is excruciating as it scorches my back. Mariah screams, she feels it too_

_The path bends, we try to run faster but thick smoke fills our lungs._

_The way ahead is black but I see movement from the walls and ceiling…crawling, growing…thorn vines. One rips into my shoulder as they grow thick like a jungle blocking our way._

_Mariah's hair and sashes get caught_

"_Keep pushing through, it will hurt but don't stop"_

_My face, neck and arms suffer most against the claw like thorns_

_Looking right I see Mariah struggle as some ropey vines curl around her wrists and pull her arms up, her once pretty face is now seeping blood from a hundred scratches. She whimpers desperately as the jungle vines creep over her tits and squeeze hard forcing more thorns to sink into her skin. Her white sashes have turned red, wet and heavy with blood. Her gemstone eyes look to me begging for help but there is nothing I can do. I'm bound by these damn vines._

_His evil voice snarls suddenly "Hard and mercilessly. That is how a whore should be fucked"_

_Mariah's legs are prised apart by more demonic flora as she hangs in mid air. I watch as a thick spiky root emerges vertically from the rocky ground and positions itself between her legs._

_Blood from my shoulder trickles down my arm_

_The pointy tip of the root wags like a puppy tail._

_Stab! Straight into her body_

…_dream over…_

The nightmare horror tore Kai from his sleep leaving him awake and covered in a film of sheening sweat. He found the clammy cold feeling unbearable and decided to go for a shower not really caring if it woke the other boys. They all slept too much in his opinion anyway. Kai sat up in bed and took a moment to adjust to the bluey dark; the sun had just begun to rise hazing the cloudy sky in shades of indigo and pink. He looked to his left and saw Max sleeping deeply; on the other side of him there was Ray. _...If only you knew what she went through in my dream…_

Kai sighed heavily; it felt so wrong for Mariah to make a guest appearance in his sleep especially when he was dreaming of her torture just inches away from her boyfriend. Even if he hadn't envisioned Mariah that night he would have still preferred to sleep alone because the whole 'we're a team so we should eat, sleep, train, live and die together' thing annoyed him. Pretty much all bullshit did.

A mixture of the nightmare remnants and the uneasy feeling that Boris was everywhere finally gave Kai the push he needed to get out of bed and take that much needed shower.

One golden eye watched him traipse into the bathroom and close the door, but not completely, leaving just a crack through which a vertical beam of yellow light escaped.

Ray stopped pretending to be asleep. He had been awake for about 10 minutes after being disturbed by Kai twitching and moaning like he was getting a blowjob or something.

…_Another nightmare? Poor Kai, they've been getting worse lately…_

Ray heard the pressured fall of water as the shower was turned on. He stared at the bathroom light escaping through the gap, wondering what Kai's nightmares were like. They must have been severe. Kai didn't scare easily; he had been the brave level headed one that time the Dark Bladers had hijacked the train in the Channel Tunnel and threatened to kill Kenny. Max stirred slightly, Ray felt his arm move then go limp against his back. Ray smiled slightly at Max's innocence it must be nice to be so blissfully unaware of the dangers and nastiness life has to offer. The fact was that Ray and Kai were on a much higher level of perception and knew all too well that you have to keep your senses alive even when you sleep. Ray looked back to the bathroom door, a swirl of steam crept out as if to entice him to enter; it worked.

Even though he knew it was insensible he left bed and walked into the bathroom shutting the door properly.

Inside was warm and steamy. Ray stood still, facing the glass shower cubicle, waiting to be noticed. Kai looked over his shoulder for a couple of seconds then turned off the water.

"What time is it?" he asked emotionlessly

Ray walked forward "5.28 am" he replied handing Kai a towel. Kai wrapped it around his waist and Ray averted his gaze slightly but still saw 'everything' Kai's body had to offer.

"…Another nightmare right?"

Kai gave him an annoyed glance, grabbed another towel and began drying his face

Ray continued "…it might help if you talk about it; back in my village some people think dreams hold real meaning, like they're visions of things to come"

This amused Kai slightly "In that case the world had better prepare for Armageddon"

"That bad huh?" replied Ray as he began taking a piss "Hey, you wanna hang out after the exhibition match today? Just me and you……I'm thinking some cute Russian fan-girls will show up, we could hook up with a couple and get laid; it'll take your mind off all this nightmare crap" at that point he finished relieving his bladder

Kai was slightly taken by surprise at the upfront suggestion _...Thinking with your dick again?..._

"I see being faithful to Mariah isn't high on your priority list these days"

"Look, she's a sweet kid but I can't give her what she wants…she can't give me what I want either"

"You mean sex with no strings attached"

Ray fell silent for a few seconds before replying "its better that way, no one gets hurt"

"I'm sure Lee will be glad that you have no sexual interest in her" Throwing Lee into the conversation was bound to agitate Ray further

"Its not that I don't have a sexual interest in her…I…just don't think…she…would…I mean, she's a nice girl, she's not a slut"

"So you want a slut?" Kai asked almost sarcastically

"That's not what I said! I just think sex should be about fun and trying different things"

"Different things? So you don't like the idea of riding her in the same old missionary position every night until you're too old to remember what sex is?" Kai was getting harsh

"Cut it out! God! I don't know why I bother trying with you"

"Then save your breath and stop 'trying'. We're on the same team, that's as far as it goes so let's not get too personal"

Ray frowned in frustration as Kai walked past him towards the door

"…and next time I'm in the bathroom, knock first. Don't just invite yourself in" he sneered.

Wicked Blue read and review…


	8. Down By The Riverside

Things heat up as destinies begin to intertwine…

The morning grew bright and clear… a perfect day for blading outside.

"Tyson, Tyson! Wake up!" Kenny nagged as he nudged his lazy friend.

"Wha? Ohhh Chief go back to sleep it's like 6 am" groaned Tyson refusing to open his eyes,

"Its 10:45 am and the others have gone already" Kenny argued

Reluctantly, Tyson sat up "Gone? What do you mean?"

Kenny sighed heavily "Max got an email from his mom this morning; she's in town with the All Starz so he went to meet her. Ray has gone to check out some of the local bladers and do some sightseeing. I have no idea where Kai is; nobody does but apparently he came back last night"

"Grrrrr!! How did Kai ever get to be captain of our team? He hardly even does anything" complained Tyson

"He's an awesome blader, despite what you think we need him if we're gonna stand any chance of making it through the tournament" Kenny reasoned

"…Whatever. I'm gonna get some breakfast, you coming?"

Elsewhere

Ray walked along the busy main road; he roughly knew the direction and location of the exhibition match.

…_I guess the others will show up when they're ready…_

Exhibition matches sucked. It was all a promotion stunt. Hasbro join forces with the local Toys R Us or whatever and rope in a few professional bladers to perform for the customers. Of course, when the kids in the audience see just how awesome Beyblades are they nag their parents into submission and then into the conveniently close toy store to buy the latest G Force, V Force Driger, Dragoon, Heavy Metal system…whatever. It's basically all the same shit; just each new set has a different letter.

Three pairs of fine legs suddenly entered the vision field of Ray's downward gaze. He looked up and saw three girls walking along the sidewalk towards him. He scanned them quickly, all cute, each with volumous wavy hair, tight mini skirts and knee high boots…maybe mini skirts were a little inappropriate for the weather? Ray didn't care; they looked hot. The girls were obviously friends… linking arms as they walked.

Ray felt a slight twitch in the ligaments either side of his dick as a hard-on threatened to rear up; he wished they weren't wearing their coats which were trimmed with pale fur on the cuffs and collars. The coats were figure hugging but prevented him from seeing the size and shape of their tits. He smiled slyly…desperate to flirt. The girls caught on quickly, made eye contact with him, whispered to each other, then giggled slightly as they passed.

The hind view was almost as good as the front; Ray checked out the back of their legs and almost drooled at the way the skirts clung to their asses!

He was spoilt for choice _…should I go for the green, purple or red haired one?... _just before he could make up his mind a loud outbreak of cheering broke his chain of thought. On the other side of the chest-high brick wall edging the sidewalk a crowd had gathered _…a Beyblade match?... _Ray decided to forget about the Russian cuties for now and went to investigate.

The crowd began to break away _…shit! I missed it… _but as he moved closerhe suddenly caught sight of the victorious female blader…disappointment struck and he instantly regretted not chasing after those three miniskirt chicks.

Her blade returned to her hand as if desperate for her touch, she then looked up and spotted Ray…

"…HEY GUYS LOOK! ITS RAY!!" exclaimed Mariah. God she had missed him. The Asian tournament had been the last time they were together. Those sticky hot nights filled with tension and team rivalry had truly played havoc with her teenage hormones. It almost drove her crazy knowing he slept in the room on the other side of the wall and yet she had to keep contact with him to a bare minimum for fear of upsetting Lee and breaking her team's precious code of honour. Lee kept close tabs on her but he could never control her feelings. Her feelings affected her dreams and, in fact, on the eve of the Bladebreaker -v- White Tiger match Mariah dreamed of Ray kissing, licking and fucking her to ecstasy. She woke up flushed, breathless and creaming.

"Its good to see you guys here…I knew you would make it to the world championship" Ray greeted

"They're not the only ones who made it" a familiar voice remarked from behind

"Max!"

Max stood with his mom and her team…the All Starz.

Ray studied Emily briefly, he couldn't help it, it was like an automatic function, sadly she didn't quite meet his high standards in the looks department…too geeky

"This world tournament just keeps getting better and better" sneered Lee

Michael stepped forward "just what do you mean by that?" he demanded

"Oh…nothing" grinned Lee

Max's mom smiled to herself slightly … she regularly worked with teenagers and always found their bad attitudes amusing.

"It's wonderful to see you White Tigers here, at least we know we have some friends in the competition"

"…Yeah…friends…" remarked Michael insincerely, he eyed Lee intensely

Judy stepped forward slightly and addressed her team "I'm afraid I can't stay long, I need to get back to the hotel to make some phone calls, do you guys wanna hang out here for a while and meet me back at the hotel for dinner?"

"Sure Judy that sounds great, I'm sure the White whatevers here would love to hear about our high tec training methods…I'm guessing they don't use any kind of science or technology where they're from" sneered Emily

Every member of the White Tiger team glared angrily at the stuck up bitch, Max was shocked and a little embarrassed that someone from his ex team could be so rude to his friends

"OK then I'll see you later…have fun" said Judy then leant down to give her son a special goodbye "Bye Honey, take care" she kissed him sweetly on the cheek and started to walk away.

"Bye mom" Max replied glumly

Both teams waited quietly until Judy was out of earshot, and then the trouble really started

"Just what is your problem?" demanded Mariah

"I just tell it as I see it" replied Emily "and all I see is a group of misfits who belong back in the mountains herding goats or whatever it is you people do … leave the blading to professionals like us Honey"

"Mariah don't argue with trash like her…we're better than that" said Lee

"I've had about enough of this bitching" snapped Steve "How about a Beyblade match to really get us all in the mood for this tournament"

"Did someone say Beyblade match?" shouted a familiar voice. Everyone looked round and saw Tyson running towards them along with Kenny.

"Oh man you have gotta be kidding me" Eddie despaired

"Wow!!! I can't believe we're here altogether like this!" beamed Tyson "Hey you guys mind if I join in with your match?"

"Actually Tyson we've already decided who's taking part" said Lee sternly

"oh…well can I at least be referee?" Tyson pleaded

"It's fine by us" said Michael

"I guess we don't have a problem with that" added Lee

"Great! Who's up first?" Tyson asked

"Me" said Steve

"You're going down" snapped Mariah as she readied her blade and launcher, this shocked Lee, he didn't want Mariah to battle but if he recalled her now it would look as though he didn't have faith in his teams' ability

"I wouldn't mind going down on you babe" replied the American footballer

Lee's temper boiled as he snarled "One more fucking comment like that and I'll…"

"Hey, Hey cut it out!" Tyson intervened "I'll call Judy back if you guys are gonna start this shit…this is a friendly match remember?"

"You hear that? He's gonna call your babysitter back if you don't behave" joked Kevin causing his team to snigger

"I said enough Kevin! I'm referee and I say this stops right now!"

"Can we just get started?" Mariah complained still in her launching stance

"Let's get it on!" smirked Steve

"Three, Two, One, LET IIIIIIIIIITTTTT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPP!" yelled Tyson

Mariah tore back viciously on her rip cord sending her blade whizzing into the large stone bey-dish; Steve did the same simultaneously. His blade was larger and heavier than hers which meant his defence was high and his attack, although relatively slow, was powerful. Mariah knew exactly how to disarm big clumsy blades like his, Steve's blade continued to spin, gaining momentum in order to wipe her out in one blow however Mariah's blade was built for speed and attack

…_I need to slow his blade down…_

"Ok Galux, counter clockwise attack NOW" she commanded. Galux proceeded to clash with Steve's blade at such an angle that it converted her spin at no loss to her own velocity. There is a certain sense of satisfaction when you are able to use your opponent's own power to charge an attack against them; and right now Mariah was revelling in it.

"Big deal! So you made your blade spin anticlockwise, I've seen that done before" Steve mused

She ignored him "Scratch attack Galux! But don't finish him off too quickly I'm enjoying this"

The razor sharp alloy claw blades around her attack disc were ready to do their job. Her beyblade struck Steve's and took a slice out of his defence ring, it also slowed his spin right down because of her anticlockwise cycle

"DAMN IT!...Tryhorn! Stampede attack NOW!" he commanded but Galux honed in and butchered one side of his weight disc, this really fucked up the aerodynamics of his blade and it began to wobble as it slowed further.

On the sideline Lee was grinning with pride as his special girl was bringing down this cumbersome moron in front of his team and the Moscow public.

"I don't get it Chief! When Mariah hit Steve's blade it made hers spin the other way, how come his didn't start spinning the other way when she attacked?" Tyson asked

"Don't you get it? She's using his own power against him and turning his strengths into weaknesses" explained Kenny but Tyson still looked perplexed.

"Steve's blade is bigger and heavier than Mariah's right? This means his blade is capable of harbouring more power but because hers is lighter she was able to bounce off his spinning blade and reverse her own spin and make it faster. You see it's simple! Something heavy can move something light a lot but something light can't move something heavy very much! So each time she hits him he'll slow a little because they're spinning in opposite directions but her real strategy is to take him apart piece by piece. Her speed gives her an advantage here, she can move in all directions, attack quickly, then move out again this is why his blade isn't affecting hers much at all. Steve is too slow to catch up but if he does attack, Mariah will be in big trouble." Explained Kenny

"Get ready to finish him off Galux!"

Steve's blade steadily mounted the wall of the dish, if he could attack from a height he could gain some much needed speed and wipe her out but Mariah quickly sussed his plan and went in for the kill

"NOW GALUX!"

Her blade followed up the wall, over took and attacked from above. Galux slashed Steve's blade base in a shower of pink and green sparks which destroyed his balance and sent his blade toppling to the centre of the dish in utter defeat. Once the reality of losing set in, Steve felt horribly humiliated…kinda like the weaker guys he bullied in the locker room back at high school, such as one nerd in particular who's towel he once ripped off after showering thus baring the kid's less than average sized flaccid dick to a pack of jocks howling with laughter.

Defeat by a girl was tantamount to castration in Steve's book. It was nothing less than shameful and if his father were ever to find out, nothing would restore respect for his son.

"Good effort Steve, but I think you should stick to football" Mariah giggled

"…Whatever, I'm done with this shit" he snarled as he grabbed his blade "hey Emily fix this piece of crap, and this time do a good job of it" he demanded rudely then pushed it into her hand. Understandably this riled her up "less of the damn attitude you pig, I'll fix this when I have time" she replied angrily before tossing the mangled scrap of metal to the ground.

"Well, you've had your match, and I think the results speak for themselves. Every member of my team is a natural world class blader and we don't need a bunch of computers and robots to cheat our way through any tournament." Lee stated with pride.

"Ha! That's rich coming from you!" Emily snapped back

"What the hell do you mean by that?" he replied, genuinely baffled

"I remember doing a little research on you guys back in the summer, and I found out about the cheap tactics you used to try and win the Asian tournament…playing "Pinky" against her ex…him, right there… Ray from the Bladebreakers. But it backfired didn't it? Because she couldn't handle it and lost…how pathetic" sneered Emily with a satisfied grin.

"Bitch! It wasn't like that at all" snarled Mariah as she advanced

Ray quickly restrained her "Mariah! Stop! She's just trying to get a rise out of you"

"I think she'd like a 'rise' out of you Honey, so what are you two? Boyfriend and girlfriend…or just fuck buddies" laughed Emily, her team mates also joined in

"If my mom knew what you were really like she'd fire you in a second" yelled Max

"I don't think so, I'm waaaaaaay too important. Without me the All Starz couldn't operate…so there!" replied Emily

"I don't know who you think you are, but you need putting in your place" stated Gary unexpectedly

"Oh! So it does speak after all!" Emily laughed

"Do you Beyblade or just talk trash?" Gary enquired in his low calm way

"Do I Beyblade? Does a bear fuck in the woods?" she jeered obnoxiously

Gary took his position at the side of the stadium and prepared his blade for launch

"You do realise this is a colossal waste of time right? I'll win no sweat!" she boasted

"Hey Tyson! You gonna do the count down?" Gary asked

"Sure buddy, you All Starz could learn a thing or two from this guy, even though you've insulted him and his friends he's kept his self respect by not retaliating and sinking to your level"

"Oh whatever…THREETWOONE GO!" shouted Emily as she launched her blade

"HEY!!! I WAS MEANT TO DO THE COUNTDOWN!!" yelled Tyson

"TOO LATE!" she yelled back

Gary quickly followed by releasing his blade, he had to work fast because those few extra seconds that Emily's blade spent in the dish allowed her to build up speed. It orbited his blade in a fast whiz but Gary had plans of his own. Timing was one of his weaknesses but if his plan was to work it would need to be impeccable, she could attack from any one of 360 degrees; her blade was of medium weight and very fast, his blade was similar to Steve's in that it was on the heavy side however Gary's blading style was completely different and he exercised much more control over it's power. His blade spun in more or less the same spot in the middle of the dish as he waited intently for her to strike; it was useless to order Galzy to move after she began her attack, instead he had to rely on his senses to alert him to the micro second before she gave the command.

Meanwhile, in the audience, Ray still had a firm grip on Mariah. He was concentrating so hard on the match that he had forgotten to let her go, not that she minded; in fact she was enjoying the physical contact with him. His left hand held her left shoulder to his chest; lower down, his right arm pressed around her waist in a wonderfully firm grip. In all honesty she wasn't paying any attention to Gary or Emily. How could she, when the boy she was madly in love with had her held against that gorgeous body of his! Electricity was in the air for everyone as they were all transfixed on the two spinning tops…

"TRYGATOR smash that son-of-a-bitch NOW!" screamed Emily like a psycho

Shit! Gary had failed to catch her out "Galzy, DODGE HER!" he yelled…but it was useless, the fiery orange gator bit into Galzy from behind. "STOP! YOU WIN! NOW LET GALZY GO!" shouted Gary who feared for his bit beast's wellbeing. "IGNORE HIM! CRUNCH DOWN HARD TRYGATOR!!" Emily commanded in utter defiance; her bit beast clenched its powerful jaws as Galzy roared in pure agony. "STOP! THIS STOPS NOW! GARY ACCEPTS HE LOST NOW LET GALZY GO" ordered Tyson "I'M REFEREE", "YOU'RE NOTHING!" replied Emily cruelly

"EMILY! LET THE DAMN BEAR GO…what the fuck's gotten into you?" exclaimed Michael

The crowd was quickly turning against her, and although she was in her element showing off, even Emily knew it was wrong to kick someone when they're already down.

"Oh fine! Let him go Trygator…since when did you guys get so boring?" she remarked as her blade slowed and toppled over; Gary's was already fucked. He reached into the dish and retrieved it; he should never have taken on that crazy bitch and the regret he felt suddenly mixed with shame. Lee was the leader of his team for a reason; he made the best decisions and kept a level head. Gary knew he should have consulted him first but his emotions had gotten the better of him and he recklessly charged into battle.

"We're leaving now" stated Lee "Its clear that unless you cheat your team can't win – she has shown that so there's really no point in continuing"

"Wait!" exclaimed Micheal "Listen, I know shit's happened but I don't want you guys going away thinking we're a bunch of dirty cheaters…Emily just got a little too fired up"

"Whatever hotshot. We're not interested in your excuses…at least we know what we're up against now" replied Lee; a low dark anger glinted in his eyes

Tyson suddenly stepped in "As referee I declare this match null and void, like Lee said, it wasn't a fair match!"

"What a bunch of drama queens" sneered Emily; she had picked her blade up and was now inspecting it for scratches

"Sorry Lee, in future I'll wait for you to tell me when it's my turn" Gary explained glumly,

Mariah suddenly felt compelled to say something as well so, reluctantly, she moved away from Ray who had since released her from his hold.

"Lee, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have lost my temper and rushed in like that" she explained sweetly

"I'm not mad with anyone, we bladed fairly. That match was a load of bullshit and now it's time to go – there's nothing to hang around here for"

"Hey don't rush away! Look man we're sorry for the way Emily acted, even if she won't say it herself. Trash talk is one thing but she was out of line. Cheating is not what we're about; I know our team goes a little overboard on the technology but believe me it wasn't mine, Eddie or Steve's idea, we're into sports big-time and we like to play hard and real just like you guys...So what say we put all this shit behind us and start over?" Michael suggested rather diplomatically; he walked forward and held out his hand ready to shake Lee's. Lee thought for a moment but surprisingly took Michael's hand and shook it firmly. It takes guts to admit when you're wrong and Lee admired the way Michael lay down his pride.

"Alright! So we're all friends now?" asked Tyson

"That's cool with us man" replied Eddie with a smile

A comfortable atmosphere settled amongst the teens and they continued with some friendly conversation…meanwhile Ray and Mariah stepped aside to talk alone

"So did you miss me?" she asked

"Of course I did, I missed all of you"

"But me especially right?"

Nearby Tyson was chatting to Steve

"Did you guys have any idea how cold Russia was gonna be? Man I'm freezing my balls off!" he exclaimed with a little too much bravado

"Yeah me too…Hey I got an idea, HEY GUYS!" the rest of the boys, except Ray gathered around as Steve reached into his sport bag and pulled out a brown leather American football "Beyblade's fun and all but how about we play a 'real' game? Does everyone here know how to play football? That should soon warm everyone up!!"

"Sounds interesting" remarked Lee

"I'm so glad to see you Ray…hey what are you doing tonight? Do you wan…"

"HEY RAY WE NEED YOU OVER HERE DUDE!!" yelled Tyson unknowingly disrupting Mariah's proposal to meet up later

"I better go see what's going on" said Ray softly, he didn't want to disappoint her but the truth was he would have said no to her anyway. He didn't want to waste any of his time in Russia with a girl who simply wasn't 'the type' to have sex. Back in his mountain village the girls were pretty, sweet and reserved but sex before marriage was still strongly frowned upon and strictly forbidden but, during his travels, Ray had quickly learned the ways and customs of 'western sluts' who are happy to fuck you before even knowing your name; even a lot of the Japanese girls had cast aside their traditional values and gladly sucked cock without too much persuasion. Ray didn't want the women and girls in his village to throw all sexual morality to the wind but certainly enjoyed his visits to the countries that did.

Mariah followed him back to the crowd "So what's going on?" Ray asked

"Ever play American football?" Max asked with an excited glint in his eye

"Sure, let's go!" replied Ray

"Cool, how do we play?" Mariah asked. This stunned the boys, understandably of course, after all the idea of a girl playing more or less any sport with male adversaries was completely outrageous even in this day and age!

"…no no no no no no sweetheart you've got the wrong idea here, ya see, American football is a man's game" explained Steve

Mariah was shocked and angry "Ray! Lee!…tell him I can play!" she demanded but instead of a round of warm support she was met with silence as most of the boys looked away. Ray approached her "Mariah, we just don't want you to get hurt that's all", "Yeah that's right, we won't be long" added Lee but this didn't pacify her "Kevin is a lot smaller than me but you're letting him play!" she argued

"Are you guys coming or what?" called Michael as he jogged away with the ball, "Hey Kenny you coming?" asked Tyson "Nah, I'll just watch", "There you go Mariah, you can watch us with him" suggested Kevin "Oh hey will you hold our coats?" added Lee as he dumped his coat on her. Ray, Tyson, Max, Kevin and Gary did the same as they ran by and joined the All Starz "Thanks Mariah" they yelled from a distance. "I guess it's just you and me then?" Kenny remarked, secretly delighted that he might be able to get to know her better. He'd had his own little crush on her since meeting her at the Asian tournament. "…Would you mind taking some of these?" she asked politely "Sure!" he chirped as he relieved her of the bulky garments. She stood and gazed at the boys as they ran, threw the ball, passed it, and tackled each other, they were laughing and swearing and bonding in that special way that only boys do… "Are you a football fan?" a snide voice came from behind, Mariah and Kenny turned to see Emily "Why would you wanna play that? Are you a lesbian?" she sniggered as she walked by but not before looking at Kenny "what are you looking at short-stuff?"

Mariah had just about had enough and she felt her skin all over burn in anger "Just ignore her, bullies like that are only after attention" reassured Kenny but she ignored him, not to be mean but her patience had worn paper thin and right now she didn't feel like speaking to any of her so-called friends. "Would you excuse me? I think I need to go for a walk"

"…ok" replied Kenny glumly; he was thoroughly disappointed at his short encounter with her.

The boys' laughter faded into the distance as Mariah walked further and further away. She partly looked ahead, partly at the ground and was partly lost in thought _…why wasn't he excited to see me? I won my fucking match yet they don't think I can play one damn game of football...Ray looked so hot…why doesn't he like me?...maybe he's found someone else…oh God please don't let that be true…Lee had better let me fight in this tournament…he knows I can blade like a pro, today must have proven that…Steve, what a jerk...at least he flirted with me which is more than Ray did…then again, he held on to me longer than he needed to… _her sulky teenage thoughts shifted from one issue to another until she suddenly caught sight of the gloomy river flowing beside her _…at least I can't get lost if I follow you back…_ she continued to stroll alongside as it curved around under a large stony bridge.

His head hurt as the memories pounded from within. Russia, Moscow, Balkov Abbey, Tala, Boris, Pain, Pride, Burning, Beyblades, Pink and White Angels, Hell, Entrapment, Voltaire… all kinds of fucked up shit hurricaned around his mind; he had the pieces of the jigsaw but for some reason he couldn't slot them into place. He heard footsteps approaching and turned sharply to the left to see…

Their eyes suddenly met and they found themselves both frozen to the spot, sharing a locked gaze. "…It's you" Mariah exclaimed, he was the last person she had expected to see "Kai? Right?" if he had sensed her team or the Bladebreakers following he would have left without a word but he knew she was alone and so for now he chose to remain.

"How come you're not with your team?" she enquired

"How come you're not with yours?" he replied coolly

An icy breeze drifted by and Mariah felt a tingling shiver from the base of her spine up to the back of her neck although she couldn't decide whether this was because of the cold or because of the way Kai was staring at her in that deep and intense way; no other boy had ever looked at her like that before…

"My team are busy doing something they feel I shouldn't be part of" she answered with a slightly bitter tone to her voice but Kai didn't bother asking what that might be.

"Has sulking helped the matter?"

She suddenly looked quite cross "I wasn't sulking, I was thinking"

"Call it whatever you like…"

She wasn't sure if he was being a jerk or not but decided not to make an issue out of it

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked as she moved closer to him

"Since when did I have to answer to you?" he replied sarcastically which took her by surprise slightly

"Fine, don't tell me…God! What is this? Everyone be a jerk to Mariah day?" she asked rhetorically and leaned against the underside wall of the bridge

"Why do guys have such a problem with girls?"

"Maybe it's because girls cause them problems"

She looked at him quizzically "So has a girl caused you a problem?"

"…Not yet" he replied

Mariah sighed, she didn't want an argument with Kai; there was a short silence between them then her expression softened "…I'm freezing, I guess I should head back…do you want to walk there with me? Your team is with mine"

"No thanks, I'm a big boy…I can find my own way back"

She smiled slightly "Well you're certainly bigger than the last time I saw you, you're taller, you've definitely grown"

"So have you…"

"Do you really think so? I'm pretty sure I'm not any taller"

"I wasn't talking about your height…"

This confused her until she followed the direction of his dark brown eyes, his gaze rested momentarily on her chest; she studied her own tits for a couple of seconds, they were large and well developed and much to her embarrassment her nipples were fully erect; visibly clear through her tight figure hugging white top. She crossed her arms over her chest as if she were naked in front of him and stood rigidly as a burning blush crept over her cheeks.

"You're obviously still cold…" he remarked almost playfully "…take this…" he tossed her his pale blue BBA winter coat and she caught it with one hand

He turned and began to walk away "…bye"

She instinctively knew not to follow and stood there for almost twenty seconds before slipping the coat, his coat, over her shoulders; a strange tingly feeling swept through her body as if there had been an underlying shift in her skin. She suddenly felt very grown up and sexually liberated. It was weird, that strangely sexy boy she barely knew had done this to her in a conversation that had lasted no more than a minute.

* * *

Wasn't that interesting! I just love Kai with Mariah, what do you think? 


	9. Out of Hell

The barbed wire, high metal fences and dark ambience were as much the same as Kai could remember. Balkov Abbey stood several stories high, black against the evening blue, punctuated in some parts by oblong windows of yellow light.

Kai pressed the intercom button at the side of the front gates "Tell Voltaire, Kai is here. He has five minutes to get down here or I walk away."

The gates creaked painfully as they opened. "Come to the entrance, you will be escorted to Voltaire"

The front doors were sunk into a huge carved stone archway and opened perfectly on time, just as Kai got within three meters of them. A chandelier sparkled, rich dark curtains fell like waterfalls, a wide carpeted staircase curved out at him and the air was heavy with evil.

Kai leaned against the mahogany panelled wall with his arms crossed. He refused to acknowledge his luxurious surroundings. It was a fucking insult considering the teenage kids that made money for this place had to live in the building's dank and wretched underground complex.

Kai sensed a presence, dark though nothing to be scared of.

"…Kai, how are you?" Voltaire asked from the upper balcony

"What took so long?" said Kai

"I'm a busy man Kai, you'll understand one day when you're running things. I take it you met Alexander a little while ago"

"yeah, oh and I just love the new business cards"

"Don't be flippant with me boy!"

It took every ounce of restraint not to flinch at the anger of the old man.

"I'm glad you took the hint and decided to visit me here – I hope it will be an extended stay"

"What are you talking about?"

"I want you to join up with your old gang Kai. You remember Tala, Bryan and Spencer don't you? Oh and Ian is the newest recruit."

"…Tala"

"That's right. I know we've never openly spoken about your memory loss Kai but the time has now come for you to remember; I will help you do this" Voltaire descended the stairs.

An unmistakable twinge of embarrassment struck Kai. He had always evaded the need to recall too many memories of Russia and Balkov Abbey but despite this, he felt a little stupid for not having the option to do so.

"Do you remember the night we left for Japan six years ago?"

_~flashback~_

Kai knew he would be leaving for the airport in three hours. His young body ached from the abuse Boris had dished out earlier but at least it hadn't resulted in a dry and agonising rape. Thanks to Voltaire.

Kai had overheard the technicians agree that it would be best to leave Black Dranzer dormant and untouched for twenty-four hours in order for the beast to calm itself within its bit. With this in mind, little Kai made a return to the training chamber. He skulked silently to the edge of the huge dish, the scrapes and gashes in its steel sides were testament to the power of a lethal attack disc. He looked around briefly, all security cameras had been blown out; lenses smashed and devices left to hang by their wires. The black and red blade lay at the bottom of the stadium. Kai slid down the scratched slope and bumped the blade slightly with his foot. He gasped and held his breath. Nothing. It was more beautiful up close. Too beautiful to walk away from. He reached out for it, its warm metal greeted his fingertips, the dark phoenix's symbol glinted in the partial white violet light of the chamber. He clenched his hand over the blade and held it cautiously like the first time you hold a newborn kitten.

…grmmmmbmmbbbbllllllbllblbl…

The growl came low and deep and seemed to emanate from the ground. Kai flinched in terror and rapidly scrambled out of the stadium. Once again the chamber was silent. Warmth turned to hotness as the blade's temperature increased… a message… somehow Kai understood what the beast wanted…

"You…want to come out? You want to be free for a while?"

Kai fixed the blade to his launcher, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and tore back on the rip cord.

The clean and feathery sound of metal cutting through air surrounded him. The air thickened and the blade spun around the room. The metallic whizz began to grow a firey edge and a deathly red glow. "Damnit" Kai began to back up and made a dash for the fire exit but the blade zipped around him and stopped in his path. A flame burst from its core and the heat scorched Kai's eyeballs. An inky black formation spewed from the blaze…red turned to gold, gold turned to black, black turned to white, green gems gleamed, fire burned, wings spread and eyes glowered.

The phoenix roared as it flew around the chamber several times.

"BLACK DRANZER! RETURN"

The creature growled at the boy's command, it hovered briefly then dove straight for the panic stricken kid and knocked him flat to the ground.

Black Dranzer loomed over Kai as one one of its claws dug into his forearm.

"…I just wanted to see you again, I wanted to let you out"

The phoenix glared intensely at the boy; Kai gazed back into what seemed like two red and black hell set voids.

_~end of flashback~_

"When we found you, you were barely conscious; the medics believed the creature had thrown you around like a ragdoll." Said Voltaire who now stood in front of Kai.

"Still, you came off a lot better than some of the other misfortunate fools who had tampered with the beast and that is why you are here. Black Dranzer should have killed you, the reason it didn't is because you and it are somehow connected, compatible, call it what you will."

"…he" said Kai

"What?"

"Black Dranzer is a he, not an it"

"Well there you go, you've proven my point" said Voltaire

_Elsewhere_

For the last hour or so, semi automatic gunfire had filled the air much to the amusement of Lee and Kevin. They were engrossed in some sort of action movie and had the volume turned right up in order to get the full effect of the violent war.

"Man, check that shit out! I'm telling you that is the mother of all bombs!" exclaimed Kevin who lay back on one of the large beds

"Calm down, they haven't even set it off yet!" replied Lee who sat next to him.

Gary simply sat aside munching his way through a huge bag of roasted cashew nuts while Mariah gazed out of the hotel room window thoroughly bored.

The day had taken so many obscure directions: bitchiness from Emily, a heated battle with Steve, a heart racing cuddle from Ray …and dirty smouldering looks from Kai. He was a strange boy and nothing like his team mates, he was far more mature, even more so than Ray. She had only encountered the Bladebreakers' captain once before, down that grungy back alley in Hong Kong. She remembered teasing him about his reasons for not wanting to battle her _…is it because I'm a girl?… _in truth she wouldn't have been able to give him the fight he wanted. He needed the best around. He wanted Lee.

…_fuck Kai, he's just a bully and a weirdo…and a pervert, I shouldn't even be thinking about him…I should think about…about something else…something that makes me happy instead of freaking me out. Ray! I should think about him…_

Alluring thoughts of the handsome dark haired boy occupied her slushy daydreams for a while but the background noise of Lee and Kevin's movie as well as their incessant ranting edged her back into reality. A girl simply has to accept that a little consideration and quiet time are out of the question when living with a pack of boys. It's their nature to make as much mess or noise as possible unless they are sleeping or eating – well, sleeping at least.

Lee, Kevin and Gary surely couldn't understand the girly complexities of the love she felt for Ray. How could she explain to them the strange kind of heady feeling which crept over her every time she even thought about him. The delicious way it felt like she'd had a few too many sips of wine.

Earlier that evening, after hanging out with the All Starz, the Bladebreakers and White Tigers had been able to catch up properly over dinner. Turned out that both teams were staying in the same hotel for the duration of the tournament and their rooms were on the same floor.

Mariah had been able to hold Ray in conversation long enough for him to sort-of agree to meet up with her so they could spend some time alone together. Tyson, on the other hand, was much more hospitable. What had been his words exactly? Oh yes, that's right "YOU WHITE TIGER GUYS CAN COME CALL FOR US AND HANG OUT WITH US IN OUR ROOM ANY TIME YOU WANT!"

So that meant that even if she wanted to see Ray right now, then technically, she had been invited.

The urge to break free from the room and actually find Ray instead of fantasising about him was becoming evermore a temptation and with such an open invite from Tyson, Mariah decided that it couldn't hurt to at least invite Ray to go for a drink in the hotel bar. It was about 8.30 pm so the evening was still fairly young, there would still be time after the drink to do something else …maybe a romantic moonlit walk, then after that…perhaps a kiss good night… and after that?...well it would depend on whether or not there was a nearby condom machine…

It's all well and good if love is in the air but you have to act on it if you want the magic to happen, and with that in mind Mariah decided to go after Ray.

"...Hey, guys, I'm going out for a little while"

"What? Where?" Lee enquired without taking his eyes off the TV screen

"Just along the hall to see Ray" she replied

"…Whatever, don't be too long" Lee ordered. Mariah almost snapped something equally obnoxious back in return but decided against it. Lee was a dominating asshole sometimes and forgot that his power as team leader had no business in anyone's personal life. He was just protective.

"See you later" Mariah said as she closed the room door behind herself. She began to make her way down the creamy beige corridor and couldn't help but think how refreshing it was to be alone after a day with the boys. As much as she cared about them, she often felt smothered.

"…Room 648" she confirmed quietly to herself before knocking gently on the door. She heard some muffling… giggling, and wait? Was that a girl's voice? Mariah began to feel as though a solid ball of lead was forming in her stomach. She listened carefully… "that had better be our Mojitos" said a girly voice from inside the room. The back of Mariah's throat pulsed and tightened, then came more giggling and sounds of movement – someone was getting up to answer the door. Mariah took a clumsy step backwards _…I must have the wrong room…_

The door was suddenly opened by Ray. He was topless, wearing jeans and had the fly button unfastened. It didn't take much to deduce what he and that girl had been up to. Mariah gasped painfully as the happy look faded from Ray's slightly flushed face.

"….Mariah….shit…..listen it's not….I mean…." He tried to say something that wouldn't completely insult her intelligence but, unlike him, the words wouldn't come.

It's amazing just how quickly anger can take over. Mariah shoved violently passed Ray and made her way into the room. There were clothes strewn on the floor at the foot and side of the kingsize bed but more to the point, the scarlet haired girl in it was looking at her quizzically "Excuse me? Where are our drinks?" she asked bluntly. Miss Slut-Pants was sitting upright, holding the floral duvet against her bare tits, at least the bitch had some shame, her dark brown eyes seemed to bore holes through Mariah as she stared, expecting an answer about her fucking Mojito.

The scarlet girl suddenly called over "Ray? Does this girl speak English or what? In fact I'm pretty sure she doesn't need to be in here if she's just delivering our drinks"

Ray ignored her and looked at Mariah in silence as though she was the one who had to say something to sort this mess out.

Mariah was deeply hurt, not just upset, but hurt in that unbearable kind of way where you can swear you feel your soul bleeding and yet your physical body just deadens and goes numb. She inhaled deeply and made her way back to the door and Ray. She looked at the boy in pure disgust, the shame he felt had knocked the sparkle out of his golden eyes whereas the anger she had felt made hers burn all the brighter. "See you at the tournament" she said coldly, then slammed the door loudly so she wouldn't have to look at him anymore.

To say she was furious was an understatement. Mariah was emotionally fucked. How could he? How could he screw some skank a swimming pool's length down the hall from her?

By now she had reached the staircase and proceeded to march down it, her face drenched in tears and scorn. Realising that she probably looked a mess, Mariah headed towards the ladies' restroom situated near the bar; a fresh coat of mascara and lip-gloss might at least help to cover her misery but, of course, nothing could actually fix it.

Mariah skulked inside the luxurious marble and cherry wood room. Thankfully no one else was in there.

She analysed her reflection in one of the tall frameless mirrors which hung above a sink. She had been so angry that she hadn't realised just how much she had been crying. Her tears had vehicled lashings of mascara which left smudgy black streaks down her face. Her hair also looked a little scruffy which was unacceptable, even under these heartbreaking circumstances.

Mariah filled the sink with hot water, selected some makeup from her bag and set to work on her appearance. She wanted to look older. Tonight had felt like the end of her childhood and that now it was time to grow up and get real. Ray was nearly sixteen and she herself was approaching fifteen. Had she seriously expected that one day some magical evening would take place between herself and Ray? Perhaps a glittering school dance with her in a long flowing prom gown and him in a sleek black suit where they would give each other their virginity at the backend of the night in a bout of perfect sex laced with heavenly orgasms. Unfortunately that kind of high school musical bullshit only exists in the evocative universe of American teen movies.

Mariah had just about finished with her eyeliner. The striking contrast of the jet black makeup against the gold of her irises gave her a glamorous, but slutty look. She tore at her hair ribbon and released the ponytail it bound. Her long hot pink hair fell to her waist and she proceeded to rough and tease it to add volume to her bangs and front tresses. She reached under her top to adjust her push up bra slightly so that her tits formed a killer cleavage. Immediately after yanking her top back down, she pulled the silver zip, which ran about a third of the way down the centre of her chest, to a point low enough to show the round and voluminous tops of her breasts. Finally, she rolled the top of her skirt over a few times and made it look like more of a belt than a skirt.

She left the restroom with little idea of what she wanted to do next…until something caught her eye. Near the entrance to the bar was a coat stand, and on it hung the most stylish black leather jacket she had ever seen. Mariah could tell it was expensive. She approached the stand cautiously, she felt as though she was simply floating and couldn't really control what she was doing, closer, closer, this was wrong. But then again, no one cared when anybody wronged her, besides the coat probably belonged to some rich ass bitch that probably had ten others like it. A snatch, a U turn, a fast paced stride and she was outside with the jacket in hand. She jogged away from the hotel and rounded a back street corner. The suede lining of the jacket felt divine and offered precious relief from the chilly evening air. It was a perfect fit, just like she knew it would be. She walked a little further to a shop and looked at her reflection in its full length window. Gorgeous. The brushed steel buckle and other trim glinted in the moonlight. Stealing the coat had been the worst thing she had ever done in her life.

She smoothed the wrinkles in her short pink skirt and walked away towards the lights and night life of the city and if any creep, weirdo or pervert felt like messing with her, then Galux would be ready to pounce.

The streets possessed an element of danger hiding in the dark, but in all honesty, Mariah was hoping someone would start on her. It would give her the perfect excuse to vent her anger and bitterness. She was more scared of getting lost than being attacked.

"…Do yourself a favour, do a one-eighty and go back to the hotel"

Mariah gasped and turned around sharply with her Beyblade poised to shoot at the owner of the slightly husky voice.

She lowered her blade and relaxed by about seventy percent – she still didn't trust this guy.

"…Kai"

He studied her slightly and raised an eyebrow at her brazen new look.

"We just seem to keep running in to each other…I'm beginning to think that you're following me" she said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"That's just wishful thinking" he replied

"Oh please, why would I want someone like you to follow me?"

"Your new getup suggests that any guy would do"

"Oh I get it, you're saying I look like a slut"

"You said it, I didn't"

"Well that's just great, I hope you feel like a big man now that you've had your little dig at me. I might be wearing a short skirt and a little more make-up than usual but let me tell you 'tough-guy' I would never sleep around. Not like your friend Ray. Hey, here's an idea. Why don't you hurry back to your team's room and see if Ray has finished with his rent-a-whore girlfriend, you might even get sloppy seconds."

Kai smiled slightly "Sloppy seconds? I might consider that, was she better looking than you?"

"I know what you're trying to do! You're just saying things to try and get inside my head and fuck me up so I lose at the tournament."

Somehow, the way she swore excited him. She was understandably upset about witnessing one of Ray's many conquests. But no matter how invincible her anger made her feel, she was going to come to harm if she continued to venture out into the city.

"You just want to upset me because you think it will give the Bladebreakers the winning edge.

"Why would I care about whether the Bladebreakers win or not?"

"…W-w-w, well you're their team captain, surely…"

"Correction, was their team captain"

"Are you saying you've quit the team?"

"clever girl"

"Whatever, if you can't handle the world tournament then…"

"Who says I'm not in the tournament?"

"You just said, you quit your team. Only teams can enter the tournament"

"…I have a new team"

"What new team, what are you talking ab… actually no, I don't care and I don't want to know. I have enough problems, I don't need your weird shit as well."

She flicked her hair obnoxiously as she turned to walk away from him. Tonight would mark a fresh start. She would put all thoughts of boys to the back of her mind, there was far more in life to make her happy: beyblading, Galux, starting a new year at school, travelling, training…

A blast of orange light came first, then the fire's heat. A deep growl sent reverberations through her spinal column. She gasped and screamed as Black Dranzer's huge and powerful grip took hold of her arms from behind. Things around her were smouldering: newspapers, cardboard boxes, garbage of all kinds. Her head lulled forward as she coughed a couple of times due to the smoke. When she looked up, Kai was in front of her.

"No! What are y.."

"You won't be going out to play on your own tonight. There are people, men, in this city that will do things to you that your body would never recover from. If I let your stupidity get the better of you and let you go on your little night time adventure, you wouldn't come back in one piece. The White Tigers wouldn't take part in the tournament and neither would the Bladebreakers. They would be too busy worrying about whether or not the fucking surgeon could make it so you could still have kids in the future. Get this black shit off your face" he was so close that he picked up on the scent of her lipgloss, she flinched as his hand came up to her face. His thumb firmly smeared the shiny pink goo from her bottom lip "what is this stuff?"

She was dazed but answered timidly "i-it's raspberry m-milkshake lipgloss"

"…so do you actually use make up or do you just smear dessert all over your face?"

She was wearing high heeled shoes but he was still bigger. He held her face firmly, the dark red leather of his glove, felt a little too rough on her neck but his touch was somehow rousing.

"…Kai…" she whimpered

The helpless tone of her voice struck a weird nerve in him and all he could think of was the Mariah in his dreams. This girl out of nowhere was suddenly in his dreams and everywhere he went. What was it about her? What was special? Pretty girl, actually more than pretty, especially tonight – the makeup, the hair, the attitude; what a tease.

He moved in on her. Temptation and opportunity worked together to coax him into the kiss. The kiss that would show her, he was in control, this was his city and his tournament. He could have whatever he wanted, and make her feel whatever he wanted.

He started slow on her, his curiosity for her make-up's sweetness was satisfied as the gloss lost itself to his mouth upon hers. The whole situation seemed to be pulled out of context and what had gone before: the distrust and the anger she felt towards him no longer mattered. Attraction, excitement and weakness were governing now. Her half closed eyes fell shut completely, the cold air of the night swirled around her body with the heat that Black Dranzer was generating, Kai kissed her more intensely; she could feel his pale colored spikes press against her forehead and also lightly atop her own bangs. Harder now, the warm, moving pressure on her lips sent the skin all over her body into meltdown. He released her face but there was little she could do to pull away had she wanted to. She groaned and her thighs tensed as his hands moved up the outer sides of her legs, under her skirt; it bunched as it moved up with his arms. She panicked slightly, and opened her mouth to tell him to stop but everything was happening so quickly and he took the chance to slip his tounge inside. His hands were on her hips now under her skirt but over the tiny satin bows of her fashionably skimpy underwear which she braced herself for him to rip away. The harsh and sudden tug came but the feeling of nakedness didn't. It took her a moment to realise that he had actually pulled her skirt to its full length from where she had hitched it up earlier. The kiss ended and he had stepped back. The grip around her arms vanished, as Black Dranzer seemed to vaporise.

Her senses came back in a rush.

"What the hell was that thing?" she asked

"You just met Black Dranzer" replied Kai

"A bit beast?"

"My bit beast"

"Why did you just do … all…that?" she asked awkwardly

Kai smirked a little

"I like to make your friends angry, especially Lee. It will be more fun at the tournament that way" replied Kai

"…so you…don't actually like me in any way?" she asked

"Disappointed?"

"No" she snapped "and what the hell gives you the right to attack me with your freaky new bit beast, kiss me, stick your tongue in my mouth and use me to rile up your opponents? I can promise you Kai, it won't be Lee that you have to worry about at the tournament, it will be me."

He was smirking again and she wanted to slap him, two boys playing on her heart strings in one night was just unreasonable.

"I'll enjoy going up against you; I like to warm up before a real match" he replied

"Oh screw you Kai!"

"You wish"

"You know what? I used to think you were a real mature kinda guy, but you have the mentality of a fifth grader." She sighed with frustration "I'm going back to the hotel, but it's not because you told me to, it's because I'm cold and bored and this city sucks."

"Whatever" he replied

"And another thing, I'm not going to tell Lee or anyone that you forced me to kiss you, so your little plan to get everyone mad so they fight extra hard at the tournament, has backfired. You're not so smart and cool after all." She said flippantly

She turned and tried to walk away in as mature a fashion as possible but she couldn't help snapping back one last remark "and you're not even a good kisser anyway!" He just stood there, arms crossed, smirking back through her denial.

She rounded a corner, mumbling to herself "what a jerk, stupid weirdo, thinks he's so great cuz he's got a new stupid creepy bit beast….oh my God I actually kissed him, he kissed me, get a grip he was just trying to fuck things up, but why did it feel like he…"

She stopped, crept back to the corner and watched as he walked away with his back towards her. She bit her bottom lip softly and against her better judgment to return to the warmth and safety of the hotel, she followed Kai.

Her agility saw her successfully follow him over walls and gates, tight back alleys and graffiti lined underpasses. He was avoiding main roads and lit pathways, his preference was clearly with darkness. The city thinned out after a while, and eventually, Mariah found herself hiding in the shadows of Balkov Abbey itself. She observed from behind a tree as Kai swiped some kind of keycard against the senser on the gate post. The gates opened and he entered. This was where the trail ended.

She hugged herself tightly as her head swam with confusion. It had been stupid to follow him here, it had been stupid to leave the hotel in the first place and steal the jacket and kiss a boy she barely knew. Thief, slut and spy all in one night.

She almost felt as if she were waiting for something to happen, though what, was unclear. The huge gothic building in front of her was fit for a fairytale's evil queen although it had a strange military style to some of its buildings.

Mariah decided it was time to go, before the way back faded from her memory; darkness and romance have a strange way of messing with your thoughts and an even stranger way of messing with your dreams….

_The prison bars were as impenetrable as ever _

"_Damnit", why do I bother shouting? Only he can hear _

_He, him, Boris_

_The worst part is waiting, I know something will happen._

_A noise, a scream a demonic creature always passes through to taunt me before he comes. _

_Then there was her, the angel. Mariah. _

_I want her now, she made this nightmare the closest thing to a dream._

_He's coming, I can feel it, hi s heartbeat, his breath, it feels like he's already on top of me._

_This fucking cave of prisons, there are others, why won't he go for them?_

_He's had me thousands of times here, the agony, the shame, he revels in it. I am cursed to live through this torture between hell and reality._

_Pink mist? Her again?_

_White sashes. _

"_I was expecting you tonight. Let me out like you did before"_

_She smiles at me. She holds a leather rope in her hands, it is tied to something beyond the entrance. I can't see._

_I remember. I search through my pockets, no blade, no key._

"_I have your beautiful friend" she says_

"_Release me before we're trapped"_

_She pulls the rope, the huge creature enters the chamber of jail cells, the creature, the phoenix, Black Dranzer. She leads him by the rope attached to a collar around his neck_

"_KAI", the evil master calls my voice and I know he is so close_

_The collar, a gleaming pink jewel is affixed to it_

"_YOU WHORE, HERE AGAIN WHERE YOU DON'T BELONG" he calls from everywhere_

_I can do nothing while I'm behind these bars, there is darkness and fire closing in_

_She takes the pink stone from the collar, and the ground stammers from the roar that Black Dranzer unleashes. _

_She brings the stone to my cell and places it against the lock, it melts to liquid pink as it flows into the keyhole and I am freed as the bars raise once again._

_He is here. Red eyes ever burning, cloaked, black as the night._

"_We can't run" she says_

"_We have to"_

_Why is Black Dranzer here? I can't control him, he won't protect me_

_Red eyed evil paces forward, if Mariah won't come, he can have her_

"_I'm going" I run_

_Her screams cut through me as I run down the dark passage, damnit, why can't I leave her? She's nothing_

_I return, Black Dranzer rears up and spreads his wings as he watches the attack. _

_Mariah writhes beneath a lake of black cloak. I kick the ugly face that grunts over her and he snarls back at me. I pull her out from under him and throw her aside._

"_It's time to go" she shouts_

"_I'll kill him"_

_He's ready for a fight, so am I. Brave, for the first time in my dreams._

_He stands still and smiles, white lightning tears across the floor, crooked black spikes emerge from the jagged energy, I'm caught, I bleed._

_Black Dranzer rears up, his wings spread and I know he is ready to bolt_

_I run for him, I drag Mariah with me, I pull at fur and feathers, I've mounted him, she sits sideways in front of me and I hold her in place_

_Boris leaps at me, his hood comes down and I see his ugly fucking face, Black Dranzer's wings sweep outwards and Boris falls_

"_BLACK DRANZER GO NOW"_

_Black engulfs us, there is heat and movement, then air_

_We ascend at high speed and the ground has gone, the air here is different; cool and pure._

_God knows how many light years away is the darkest blue, adorned with stars and clouds. Sky or heaven, I'm bound for some place other than hell._

Next Chapter: Mariah moves in with Kai….


	10. So you think you're in?

OMG Minky has updated! Her profile must have been hijacked! Admit, that's what you're thinking ^.~

Here's something short and sweet….ok it ain't so sweet, and I didn't get round to moving Mariah in with Kai in this one but read it anyway! (She moves into Balkov Abbey next time – promise I'll make it extra hot and juicy)

"Damnit! What the hell is he playing at?" Yelled Tyson.

The morning was off to a bad start. The Bladebreakers and White Tigers were outside the hotel having an impromptu crisis meeting about the absent team captain.

"Tyson, just calm down" pleaded Kenny.

"Don't tell me to calm down, the tournament is tomorrow and we haven't seen Kai for the last 48 hours."

"Getting angry won't solve anything" Ray added.

"This tournament means everything to me. Winning it could mean I get a decent college scholarship; I sure as hell won't get to go any other way. I'm shit at school, shit at sports. Rich kids like Kai don't give a damn about anyone or anything because everything gets handed to them on a plate. I'm sick of his antics, he doesn't care about screwing any of us over, he's up to something." Tyson was livid.

"You can't know that" said Ray.

"Oh yeah? Well what's your theory then? He seems to hate you the least out of all of us, you know something we don't?"

"Get out my face Tyson. I don't know what Kai's doing, all I know is we need to calm down and deal with the situation without going crazy."

"Ray's right. We go on without Kai if necessary" said Max

"If necessary? We should have done that from the start. If he wants to quit the team, that's fine but is a phone call or a note too much to ask if he hasn't got the balls to tell us to our faces?"

"Kai's probably just taking some time out to be alone. Can't say I blame him; you can be real childish at times" said Ray, who was pissed off with Tyson's ranting.

"Siding with him huh? Well you can ask your best buddy Kai about borrowing his side of the room next time you wanna bring a girl back to screw."

"Whatever, I'm outta here." Ray turned and began to walk away; Tyson couldn't be reasoned with.

"Yeah that's right, walk out on us too. Go on!" yelled Tyson through tears and snotty nose.

"Ray where are you going?" Kenny asked

"I'm going to look around for Kai. It's better than standing around doing nothing constructive"

"We have no idea where he is" said Kenny

"I do" everyone looked at Mariah

"Wait, how the hell do you know where he could be?" Lee demanded

"Last night, I kinda followed him." She explained half-heartedly

"What? Why? I thought you went to see Ray!" said Lee harshly

"Yeah, well, that changed. Ray was… busy, so I went for a walk." She looked at Ray through narrow eyes; he looked down.

Tyson suddenly charged forward and grasped Mariah by her shoulders.

"Where is he?" he demanded

"Hey, get your damn hands off her!" yelled Lee. Mariah shook free from Tyson's sweaty hands.

"This is getting us nowhere. If we want to find Kai, or compete in the tournament, we have to work together. Mariah, would you take us to where you think Kai is? Please?" asked Kenny, desperate for some sort of plan and harmony.

"Sure, but you're not gonna like it." She said apathetically.

An uneasy atmosphere settled between the two teams. Lee was not happy about getting involved with something that was neither his, nor his team's, problem. Look after your own shit; that was his ethos.

The journey seemed longer than it had done previously, and there was no conversation to sweeten the drudgery of walking the distance. The spark, the excitement that she had sensed as she followed Kai undetected, had well and truly gone. In fact, the same could be said about the entire experience in Russia. They all felt the same. Somehow, the Beyblade competition had lost it's palce in their hearts. What started out as a fun, adrenaline-fuelled competition had deteriorated into a mere assignment. A lot can happen in a summer, a lot had happened. Mariah glanced at the boys to the side and behind her. None of them were kids anymore, their voices had deepened, their bodies had grown, their motives had changed. Beyblade was no longer a game to them; like Tyson had mentioned earlier, it was simply a way to get you further ahead in the real world, a way to get into a good college, a hobby to add to your resume's list of hobbies, a way to win money and prizes, fame and celebrity. But what about friends and team-mates formed along the way? Couldn't the bonds between them last after the tournament, the summer and into adulthood? You'd think so, but things change. People change; don't bother asking why, they just do.

Mariah could remember when Lee's eyes used to sparkle mischievously as he took innocent joy in Beybattling her, playing tricks, telling silly stories or jokes and just hanging out being kids. These days he was possessive; demanding her whereabouts, scheduling her day and always telling her to 'get real'. His eyes no longer sparkled like they used to. Dulled now by maturation, though often when he looked at Mariah, there was a glint. A glint that she always noticed, the unmistakable look of lust. His body language had also changed. He worked hard to define his six-pack and even harder to make sure she copped a look at it every so often. The way he would stretch, or lean against a wall, or weight lift when she just happened to be passing. She looked at him; it would never happen between her and him. The annoying thing is that 'never' is a worthless word, it doesn't come with a guarantee. If Mariah had been asked yesterday afternoon, if she would ever kiss Kai, she would have said 'never' and laughed. Then again, last night the boy had his tongue in her mouth and his hands up her skirt; so much for never. Recalling the chilling, humiliating, frightening, thrilling, tantalising, seductive… seductive? This was Kai! Awful, disgusting, horrific experience she had with him last night, suddenly made her feel quite vulnerable. What if they got to Balkov Abbey, found Kai, and he told them what he had done with her; that had, apparently, been Kai's plan, right? To kiss her, get Lee to find out and get him mad so he would battle real hard in the tournament.

They had nearly reached the abbey, denial would be her only choice, although she wondered if she really had anything to be ashamed of. Had she done anything wrong? She was single, Kai was single, they had a kiss; so what? At least, she assumed Kai was single… No self-respecting girl would put up with his shit; surely. Even his own team mates couldn't stand him. So what kind of pathetic girl would tolerate such an asshole and let him get away with directing his signature coldness and arrogance towards her? What kind of girl would let him pick her up and put her down when he felt like it? What kind of girl would go back for more?...Damn….. the pretty pink haired kind who quickly got a taste for danger and a penchant for guys who treated her like shit.

She didn't need to tell them, it was obvious they had arrived.

"Hey Mariah, thanks." said Ray as the others walked ahead.

"Oh fuck off, I haven't done this for you."

"Look, can we please stay friends?"

"Friends? Screw you Ray."

The group looked on from a safe distance. Balkov was a giant confused stone fort; a fusion of architects' visions from over the centuries to create this bastardised building that had served as a religious temple, stately home, military training compound and prison. Black spiked gates, fences and vast stone walls outlined the perimeter; spirals of deathly barbed wire topped them. There was so much to take in, the dozens of young guards and occupants that seemed to patrol the grounds, the military bunker style annexes lined up in a row and the evidently unoccupied machine gun towers – a throw back to when the Nazis invaded in twentieth century wars. There was surely no entrance. It went without saying that they couldn't simply walk up to the nearest Balkov goon and request entrance, hell, they didn't even know for sure whether Kai was in the damn place or not.

It was Kevin, no Tyson, no Kevin, definitely Kevin, who spotted the illegitimate entrance. Everything seemed to happen in one unified mad rush as they all raced towards the discreet provisions/delivery entrance embedded in a side wall.

The crispy fallen leaves, dirt, and gravel underfoot suddenly turned to smooth stone as they made headway into the building; the sunlight vanished, replaced by interior artificial lighting. There were two or three Balkov guys shifting boxes of fruit and vegetables within the corridor, next thing Tyson was in a headlock from one of them, Max was hurled to the ground, Gary smashed the third guy. Everything was happening quickly, boys' cracking voices snarled and shouted as part of the raucous scuffles in the gloom. Gary was sorting everything out, Tyson was free, his attacker on the floor with a bloody nose a la Gary, Max scrambled to his feet, Gary rammed Max's attacker's face several times into a stack of wooden produce boxes, his face was a mess of blood and splinters. Adrenaline, breathlessness, no time for fear. Lee grabbed one of the fallen by the scruff of his neck "You know someone named Kai?"

"Who are you?" spat the boy

"Is he here or not?" Lee demanded again

The boy's head lolled forward as he coughed up blood and spit.

"He's not getting it" said Kevin

Mariah felt a pang of horror when Lee suddenly glared at her "Mariah, turn around – don't look"

"W-w-why not? What are you going to do?"

"I SAID DON'T LOOK DAMNIT!"

She complied as if the very sound of his voice forced her to turn away. The dull but fast sound of fist hitting clothed body came next, then kicking, bare skin hitting stone, gasps, yelps of pain from the Balkov resident. She could tell someone, in addition to Lee, was kicking the shit outta the kid.

"Ask him again" she heard Tyson say

"Hey dickwad, is Kai Hiwatari here? Yes or No?" Lee's voice

"He's here, he's here. I haven't seen him but I know he's here" the kid was shoved to the floor

A tear ran down Mariah's cheek, it was ice cold.

"Let's get moving" said Ray

"Mariah, get back outside, wait for us" yelled Lee

"Call Mr Dickinson, get help!" added Tyson

"Let's move, let's move" Ray shouted, already jogging away

The other boys followed in a stream, possessed by some ever growing need to find Kai. In too deep to turn back now, the desire to take out their aggression on the ex team captain drove them senselessly onwards into the depths of the halls.

They were out of sight, only their voices could be heard…fainter now…gone completely. She was alone, well sort of. The three battered, hardly conscious boys on the floor were barely breathing, then one of them stirred and the panic it roused in her sent her bolting after her teammates rather than to safety outside; stupid or not, she wanted to be with them again, safe and protected.

The bluey light from the CCTV monitors illuminated the dim office and the young men within it.

"I told you we had a problem" said Tala

"I thought you said you ditched those stupid kids" added Spencer

"I can't believe Mr Super Cool, Smart Shit Kai told those idiots where…" Ian was on the floor before he could finish his sentence; blood trickled out his oversized nose. Kai had hit him pretty hard, smooth and fast and right between the eyes just as he had been trained to do.

Kai checked the back of his knuckles nonchalantly. "I didn't tell them I was here; I'll go down and deal with them" said Kai

"I'm guessing you'll need a little help" said Tala

"I'll deal with the girl" said Bryan, a dirty smirk formed across his face

"Leave the girl to me" said Kai, it was an order rather than an offer; Bryan looked pissed.

"Dammnit, that fucking hurts. Who the fuck do you think you are?" whinged Ian as he got to his feet while clutching his face

"So are we teaching the kindergartners a lesson or do you want us to be gentle with them?" asked Tala, they all ignored Ian.

"Do what you have to, but remember, we need them in working order for the tournament." Kai replied

"You gonna fuck her when you find her?" asked Bryan

Kai said nothing as he exited the Security depot.

Will he or won't he? She's getting to him now…..

I would like to ask all readers: would you prefer shorter chapters that I write and add quickly or long ones that take me longer to write?

Admittedly I rushed this, so very sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.


	11. Gated Love

Lost in stone framed blackness and silence. The boys were nowhere to be seen or heard; fear and doubt pinned her to the spot. Her throat tightened as she thought about her next move, every option seemed hopeless. She had already tried retracing her steps, that's how she had ended up here. This place was like a rabbit warren; twisted and endless. She walked forward a little, skimming the wall with her fingertips as she went. The stone surface suddenly gave way, then she felt a cold metal bar, then another, and another. As her eyes adjusted more and more to the dark, it became apparent that the corridor was lined, with what appeared to be, ancient jail cells. The thought of what might lurk within them, made her spine feel as though it had been encased in ice. Something could be keeping quiet as it watched her from the shadows, waiting to leap out and attack; some psychopathic being.

She slowly paced forward, this place couldn't go on forever…surely…

With each step, her thoughts darkened and she eventually found herself considering death and the pain associated with it. Drowning would be the worst, a relatively slow death partnered with extreme panic, though not very likely down here. Down here, she would probably be stabbed with something rusty and jagged, or maybe strangled with a cold chain or dirty leather strap. Jesus, a bullet through the brain seemed kind right now.

A sensory ice bolt….

…..The air deadened….

…..She braced herself with heightened senses….

Footsteps…..light footsteps…..

Click!

She flattened her body against the wall in response to the sound….then came a buzzing noise.

In a struggled flicker, a spaced out row of yellowish lights came on along the top of the corridor walls.

Her eyes drank in the sight of the blue spikes and white scarf.

"Kai!"

He stood about seven metres away from her, next to a wall mounted light switch. Like a rat in a sewer, he knew how to get to what he wanted even without a full knowledge of his intricate surroundings.

She ran to him, desperation and fear filled her in equal measure "Come on, we've got to get out of here, I don't know where the others are but they're looking for you, we need to find them and get back to the hotel and"

"Forget it"

"What? But this place is… Why are you here?"

"You're going. Now" Ignoring her questions, he took her by the arm and began dragging her through the dungeon, dream lover or not, now was not a good time in his life to get better acquainted with her. There would be other times for romance, maybe next year….he would be done with Balkov Abbey…..she would be legal.

"Kai, stop it! You're hurting me!" she cried, "I'll walk on my own"

"Fine, but don't try anything. I'm not in the mood"

"What's going on Kai? Why did you suddenly quit your team and come here?"

"My life has nothing to do with you."

"Well, maybe it could." She said softly. He didn't respect her as a blader, or even as a person and furthermore, he made sure she knew it. However, ignoring her questions was one thing, resisting temptation was another….

"Come on Kai, we can be friends, we don't have any reason to hate each other, right?"

He remained silent as she continued to act oddly, noting the suddenly heavy look in her eyes, the now sensuous movements of her body.

"You know…I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since last night" she said.

Kai didn't know exactly what she was up to, though something told him that she was being a devious little bitch…

"I'm so glad you found me down here, I…wanted to see you again" that voice again, sweet…coy. She began slowly playing with the neckline of his top, her fingertips brushing lightly over his collar bone, her breasts pressing just ever so gently against his chest. He knew he was taking her bait, although reassured himself that nothing could come of it; she was smaller, weaker, and desperate for what Ray had never given her. She was the vulnerable one, not him. Gazing into him, vying for a kiss or maybe more…yeah, right now that would feel good…against the wall….that would make her grow up, that would teach her, that would spoil her for Ray…..even Kai wasn't above those kinds of thoughts.

In the fraction of a moment he let his guard down, she snatched his beylade from his leg pocket. Bitch!

She leapt backwards "This is what it's all about isn't it?"

He was angry, but in a cool controlled way "Give it back to me now, and I'll let this slide"

"No, I'll give it back to you at the tournament tomorrow, if you come with me and give Tyson and the others an apology and an explanation of why you walked out on them."

"Hand it over now, or you will regret it"

"Don't threaten me! Does it make you feel like a big man when you try and scare girls?"

"This is your last chance"

"I said I'll give it back tomorrow, now please, let's get out of here!" the smouldering gaze he cast, unnerved her to the core; he really looked as though he wanted to hurt her or something.

She started to back up "Kai, come on, which way is it?"

He advanced without answering. A fist-sized ball of emotion pulsed at the back of her throat, her tear ducts suddenly strained as tears came. "Kai…Kai no, I'm sorry"

His face cold and vacant of all compassion, he was going to do what ever he needed to…anything to get Black Dranzer back. Adrenaline flooded her body in a rush and a voiceless instinct gave her the choice; fight or flight? In a mad dash she had passed him, running down the cell-lined dungeon to God only knows where. Straight on, then a left turn, another left, right, straight on. He was behind her by barely five paces, running hard, as if for his life. A final turn, then came the worst sight of all…

A dead end. "Damnit!" she shrieked as she came up against it. With a firm grip and a rough shove he made her face him. Her eyes darted quickly to the left where his fist was clenched against the wall, right by her head, so close that a few strands of her hair were caught under it. The coarse leather of his glove agitated her skin as it moved down her arm, his hand twisting the blade from her palm.

Kai could feel her panicked breath against his neck as she panted, partly due to exhaustion, partly out of fear. He had spent just enough time at Balkov for it to have some influence over his behaviour. Nobody here cared about anyone else, and as depressing as that seemed, it had its advantages. He didn't have to take any shit off anyone, he got whatever he wanted, he did whatever he wanted. He trained hard, he battled hard and he reaped the rewards. Girls were rarely a consideration, overly emotional distractions, that's normally all they were to him. Though this one was different, this dream invading, beyblade stealing beauty was starting to become an issue and issues had to be dealt with.

She sensed his internal struggle, he was trying to decide what to do with her, a task that his lightening quick reflexes clearly weren't cut out for. Close enough to kiss but worlds apart emotionally, Kai knew how to deal with people he didn't like and also those that he was indifferent to, but even he had hormones and hormones have a funny way of making you feel things that simply can't be counselled by your normal train of thought.

The softest touch over his fist, she felt the hardness of his knuckles, the coldness of the stone wall, her pink leather covering his red. Coaxing him to unclench, their fingers gently interlocking for a few seconds as she moved his hand down…..away. Some distant spark, some feint sense of affinity threatened to settle between them, their bodies still in contact, their eyes still locked.

CLANG!

The moment was over. The briefest downward glance revealed they had been standing on an old weak metal grate. There was just darkness and gravity as it gave way and the two teens tumbled down the stone channel. Knocked and smacked as they went down, the end came in seconds, the six foot drop came in another couple. Kai snatched out for her, holding her close as he landed, rolled and kneeled with as much finesse as he could manage. She cowered in his arms as he looked around.

He'd heard about this place. Balkov Abbey's catacombs, transformed into secret underground laboratories where all manner of freaky, illegal and unnatural shit took place under Boris' strict command. Kai didn't even know if his Grandfather knew the half of it. He stood up, leaving Mariah slumped on the floor.

They were in a dimly lit corridor as before, but off to the left was a large rectangular chamber that opened straight out on to it. The sound of mechanic humming and water jets could be heard.

"Where the hell are we?" Mariah asked frantically

He ignored her and began to look around. She scrambled to her feet and followed after him.

The source of the noises became clear. Half a dozen cylindrical tanks lined the lab wall, in them were animals; dead animals. Mariah recoiled and gasped at the sight of the mutilated creatures, she couldn't even tell what they were. Just four legged beasts, decapitated, stretched out, if they'd had tails, they had now been cut off as had their hooves or paws. Their beautiful hides and pelts stained with blood and marred with slashes. Their bodies submerged in fluid and bubbles.

"What is this?" she asked, dumbfounded by the evil and cruelty.

"What the fuck is this?" she demanded having received no answer from him

It had Boris written all over it, but it would be a waste of time explaining that to her, she didn't know who Boris was, let alone, what he was like.

Kai stood rigid, it somehow seemed better to ignore her than to state the obvious.

She rounded in front of him, looked at him, trying to tap into whatever was going on in his mind, why he wanted to be a part of this, why he wanted to stay here….loosing herself slightly to his features, eyes intense; brown and burgundy flecked deepness witness to a thousand scenes of violence, torture and abuse. His face long ago lost the roundness of a child's face, a man's definition well in play, his exposed arms and shoulders suggested a body well trained, put through its paces and hardened along the way.

"You're in too deep, aren't you?" she said with newfound understanding "Good luck Kai; I'll find my own way out", with that, she walked away.

All of a sudden, Kai was nine years old, he was being carried, there were voices, one of them was his grandfather's "Make sure it's the wolf, the lone wolf."

Half asleep, thrown on a table, its cold steel surface shocking the warm skin of his chest and stomach. Can't talk. A hand pushing his head down, flat against the surface. His arms pinned by someone else. Struggling, wriggling, trying to get free…

"DAMNIT BOY, HOLD STILL!" Grandfather's voice freezing him with a force all its own.

Something wet and dabbing near on his lower back "Hold him sir!" Cold rough hands came down on his shoulders… piercing, soreness as the skin was broken, deep hot soreness as the needle got under it, the injection going in, fighting to move to vent the pain, the boy thrashed against the agony, his spine racked with it. "That's it, we're done"

All hands were off him, the pain…Jesus…the pain left him shivering.

"Shall we return him to bed sir?"

"Leave him, the miserable little brat is far too spoiled, it won't do him any harm to stay here until he's back on his feet."

Footsteps, trailing voices, a door slammed shut.

Just pain and silence, broken by his own sobs and whimpers…..hours later dehydration, seclusion…..two days later….barely any vision, but a desire to fight, to go on, and to do it all alone.

Mariah scrambled back up the wall, into the narrow vertical channel that had deposited her in this underground death lab. Kai was a lost cause; there was no going back for him. Some people just can't be saved.

Ok, so there were still secrets to be uncovered, Kai knew this wasn't going to be easy, it was all part of Voltaire's plan: keeping Kai disorientated allowed for keeping him under control.

This would all be over soon enough, the tournament, the summer vacation, then back to school. She couldn't have gotten far, she was probably lost on the floor above, sobbing and wishing for a knight in shining armour to whisk her away to somewhere safe and familiar. She would have to make do with Kai frog marching her out of Balkov Abbey, at least, that was his plan.

The air went cold, unnaturally so. Kai's skin prickled as some kind of darkness, some evil static danced in the space around him. His senses confused by the unfair advantage that a supernatural predator has over a mortal. A misjudged sideways glance, then out of nowhere, the two were in front of him.

"Look Zomb, the spoilt pretty rich boy returns to us"

"What are you going to do to him? Please tell me you're going to do something to him Sanguinex!"

Kai smirked at the two beings before him, he didn't want to be scared but something said proceed with caution.

"Are you two freaks seriously threatening me?"

"Did you miss me Kai?"

"No, but I'm sure Boris is missing you right now, shouldn't you be up there, sucking him off or something? Everyone knows that's how you climbed the ranks. Dirty, cheap, blood leeching queer."

The sense of incompleteness was unbearable, finding Kai had been her mission but there was more to it than that now; the peculiar and immediate longing for one last touch, one last lingering stare, …..one last kiss?... made her turn back. She knelt in the small dark opening, puzzled by the sudden appearance of the two strangers, keen to stay hidden from them.

Sanguinex's pale handsome face twisted at the insult, anger boiled his blood, madness dictated, his sexuality flared. He lashed out at Kai, Mariah gasped at the struggle….Kai would be ok, he could fight, he was strong….

"Damnit Zomb, Help me!" cried the vampire as Kai restrained his wrists.

The decrepit half man, ploughed in, grabbed Kai's right arm, Sanguinex was free

Mariah blinked through fresh tears…..

"Over the table, get him over the table" Sanguinex instructed desperately.

Kai could hold his own in a fight, but two against one is never fair. His arms were pinned behind his back, Sanguinex standing over him, the roots of his fangs tingling with a desire for warm, young blood…for a young warm body.

Kai writhed and thrashed against the table, determined not to let Boris' bitch have his way. A solid kick to the back of his knee made him buckle, Zomb grinned at his team mate's violent example and followed on from it. Raising Kai up, slamming him down, the metal table rang, Kai gasped raggedly as he struggled to pull air back into his lungs. "You aren't gonna be so pretty for Boris"

It was one, then the other, then both as they rained blows down on to Kai's back, his ribs, his legs.

Mariah stared pie-eyed at the violence, her stomach sick, her head pounding, her conscience screaming for her to do something, her fear holding her back…

Kai took it like he'd taken pain before. Bite down, stay focussed, pain is just weakness leaving the body…. and violence is fuel for passion.

Sanguinex lowering himself over Kai's back, Kai's ribs throbbing with pain caused by the extra pressure. A rough grasp in his hair, his neck suddenly flaring up with all the pain of whiplash as the vampire pulled back, fisting a handful of blue spikes. Kai's smooth, pale throat exposed, the hot beat of his pulse just under his skin.

"Sanguinex, No! Boris won't permit"

"Fuck Boris!"

"He may want to play his games but I want this boy, now. I want him in every way."

"But we have been instructed…"

"Well I choose to take it as a suggestion. Now stay silent, and I'll let you have him after me."

Zomb backed down, the thought of Kai's body enough of a distraction to keep him from fretting about Boris and his orders.

"Hold him!" Sanguinex barked. His hands became busy unfastening his fly.

Kai felt sick, ready to beg. Hands scraping his underside, his belt unfastened, his cambats, loosened, pulled down, everything exposed.

Mariah quaked with panic, a ball of lead dropping gut deep within her; they were going to rape him.

Kai squeezed his eyes shut, kidding himself it would somehow ease the pain, block the humiliation.

"Move out of my way, you fucking lummox" the vampire snarled

A dying will to fight somehow jolted Kai and he got a shot in; a quick sharp kick to Zomb's shin bone.

"DAMNIT" Zomb snarled, he backed up…..then lurched forward, kicking Kai, crushing his balls.

"AGHHRRGHH" the boy finally broke, he cried out, voice cracking, agony like never before below, the fire, the torture. Stripped of being a man.

Mariah winced, _you selfish cowardly bitch _her conscience scowled as she sat there safe and hidden and doing nothing to help.

Sanguinex pushed his way back to Kai's hindquarters, ready to bring to life his fantasy of fucking the future of Biovault. He delighted in the friction and excitement of pleasuring himself, the boy before him, lame, weak, in helpless surrender, the vampire hardened quickly.

Frightened and with barely a slip of a plan, she prepared to launch, her shivering arm outstretched, her aim shit, blurred by tears, her eyes sore from the constant wiping away of the wet that fucked up her vision. One chance, one sliver of hope, no plan of what to do next, no idea of what would happen…..

The feathery zip of her rip cord, the air splitting around the blade, Galux spinng out of the black, into the light, 1 light, 2 lights, 3 lights, every light smashed as Galux circled the top perimeter of the lab chamber, Sanguinex and Zomb recoiling in shock as the room exploded around them, a waterfall of fluid as one of the animal tanks shattered, bluey greeny shit poured everywhere, dragging glass in shards and crystals along the floor.

"It's Boris, he knows, he knows. I told you we weren't meant to touch the boy." Zomb shouted

"Shut up"

"You wouldn't listen to me."

Kai leapt up, tugging his clothes back in place, bracing himself…..

"There are plans for you Kai; just wait" Sanguinex sneered in the once again silent chamber. He and Zomb slowly walked away, the coldness intensified for an instant and they literally vanished into the gloom of the corridor, their robes turning to smoke and then to nothing.

Something that resembled relief washed over Kai as he fell to his knees catching his breath, gauging his pain, collecting the half formed thoughts in his head.

She dropped down, unsure of what to do but sure she had to try. Approaching him like a wildlife documenter approaches a killer animal.

"Kai…Kai…" she wimpered

A dark, sideways glance was all she got.

She lowered next to him, speaking slowly and firmly

"Kai we have to leave now, before they come back."

He shrugged her away and stood up with little rigidity. Guilt stabbed at her, she should have done something sooner, all she could do now was try and make up for her hesitation.

She moved away, deciding he needed a little space; among the glass, Galux twinkled pink and silver. She collected her blade and holstered it safely, all the while keeping an eye on Kai. He leaned against the table, eyes closed, almost meditating.

Mariah noticed a sink at one side of the room, she approached it, turned the tap on and studied the water…..it looked clean, a sip told her it was good enough to drink.

"Kai?...You want some water?"

She moved in front of him "Kai?"

In a second her jaw was in his grasp, and his eyes were boring into hers

"I'm taking you back to your friends, you leave, you never come back and you don't say anything about what happened here. Is that clear?"

She swatted his hand away

"Damnit Kai! You can't stay here, don't you get it? Even if this is where your new team live...you can't stay. Those men wanted to….they were going to…hurt you."

"If you hadn't trespassed, I wouldn't even have ended up down here"

"Are you crazy! If you had just come with me in the first place, we all could've been back at the hotel; safe!"

"I will knock you unconscious and drag you back to Lee and those other morons if I have to."

"As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to tell all of them what happened. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get some help in here to rescue you and get you out. Mr Dickinson will know exactly what to do."

"Don't try that shit with me; I am the wrong person to threaten"

"Just what are you going to do? Kill me? That's the only way you'll keep me quiet."

"Believe me, that thought has crossed my mind"

"I SAVED YOU!" she screamed, desperate, angry at his blindness to her logic.

"Ok, ok how about this? We get out of here, and say nothing about what happened with those men. We just go back to the others and pretend like it didn't happen."

"You make it sound so easy"

"Well, what's the answer then? It's not like….wait…unless..."

"Unless what?"

"…I stay here, with you."

"You can't be serious."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you want to stay here?"

"I…it's..to…I want to help. I just want to know you're ok. I don't know if we're friends or not, but I can't leave you alone in this place."

"And how are you going to explain that to Lee and the others?"

"I….don't know, but I'll think of something."

"And how long are you planning to stay here?"

"As long as you do."

"This is ridiculous. Do yourself a favour, go back to your five star hotel with your boyfriends, forget about me and get on with your life. I'll be fine, I've survived up to now without your help."

"It's your choice Kai, I go back and bring help or I stay and help you myself."

She almost glowed with defiance.

"You'll regret this." He began to walk away, a slight limp hindering his pace.

"Where are you going?"

" Your team's waiting outside, you better think fast, they'll need one hell of an explanation."

Kai seemed to heal on the way; his composure certainly recuperated. That's the thing about kids who get abused, they become masters of deception – you would never think anything was wrong, even the fuck-wads that pass for social workers don't see beneath the surface.

Mariah was fascinated by the building, layered like the ancient Greek afterlife. As the two teens ascended stairs and floors, things seemed to improve from the hellish depths they had just encountered. Stone floor turned to carpet, gloom turned to electric light and heating, portraits hung, chandeliers dangled gracefully, windows, daylight! What a place. The main entrance hall was enormous and richly coloured with ceilings you could free fall from.

"They're out there, at least, they were according to my last update." Said Kai

"Oh, right." Mariah replied, still dumbfounded by her royal surroundings.

Kai pushed one of the huge double entrance doors open, and leaned against it with his arms crossed; it was up to her now.

There were raised voices outside….Lee….Tyson…a bit of Kevin.

She walked out into the daylight and into the sight of her friends as they clung to and shouted through the tall black metal bars of the security gate.

"Mariah, Mariah!"

"There she is!"

"Kai too! Kai, HEY KAI!"

She approached them, with no explanation prepared.

"Mariah, what the hell happened? I told you to stay outside! LET HER OUT KAI!" Lee shouted

"Are you ok?" Kenny asked

"KAI!" Tyson shouted

"Guys….just listen to me." She said quietly

"Mariah, what's wrong?...What has he done to you? WHAT HAS HE DONE TO YOU?" Lee demanded

"Nothing. He hasn't done anything to me." She took a deep breath, still unprepared. "I'm not coming back with you."

"What?" said Lee with utter disbelief.

"I'm going to stay here…with Kai."

The boys all gasped, each confused and mumbling words of astonishment

"Wha?"

"What did she just say?"

"With Kai?"

"Mariah, what the hell is going on? What do you mean stay here with Kai?" Ray asked

"I know it's a big shock. I just need you to trust me and"

"No, no way, no, I'm not taking this shit. Get your ass out here now, we're going, we're leaving this fucked up country, screw the tournament. We're going home tonight!" snarled Lee.

"I'm not going with you Lee."

"But…but…why?" asked Kevin

"I…just…need some time away from the team."

"With Kai? You don't even know him!" Ray argued

"Since when was that sort of thing important to you? That girl you had in bed the other night? Did you even know her second name?"

Ray looked away.

"Wait, is that what this is all about? You're getting together with Kai to make Ray jealous? To get him back?" said Lee "Just look at us! Look at what his gang members did to us!"

It was only then that Mariah noticed their cuts and bruises, the blood, the tears in their clothing, the swelling around Lee's eye socket.

"You don't know him. THIS IS FUCKING CRAZY!" Lee shouted

"I know him well enough. He's going to look after me here."

"Is he threatening you to stay?"

"No Lee! I want to stay! I need some breathing space! I'm quitting the White Tigers, so … I get to do anything I want now."

Lee's knuckles whitened as he gripped the bars hard, his face contorted with anger, she had never seen him so irate. He'd smothered her, drove her to this, drove her into the arms of…him.

"Lee, she's made her mind up. We'll come back later, she might want…" Ray was cut short

"Shut up! This is partly down to you. If you had just kept your dick in your pants for one night, everything would have been fine."

"Whatever" replied Ray

Tyson had suddenly had enough; he felt sick and angry "Kenny, Max, let's go. This is their problem, not ours." He began trudging away, his two team mates followed.

"Kevin, let's go with them" said Gary, even he knew the time had come to move on.

"Sure, I'm sick of this place." Said Kevin.

"Lee, Lee come on. Say goodbye." Said Ray

Lee inhaled deeply, "It's over, isn't it."

"For now, not forever." Said Mariah

"I guess it depends how long your bad boy fetish lasts."

She said nothing

"I'll see you and the others soon Lee."

"Sure you will. Good luck, you're gonna need it."

"Thanks Lee"

"Hey Mariah, I would have…gone steady with you, some day." Said Ray

She smiled slightly "Goodbye Ray", she no longer needed that from him. For the first time ever, she was free and about to discover herself, embark on the greatest adventure of her life and help a tortured soul to piece his world together.

She didn't look back as she returned to Kai, still leaning against the door. She needed comfort and he would give it to her….in his own way. One last wry smirk, to Lee… to Ray.


	12. Is This His Idea of a Date?

It hurt to breathe and his kidneys throbbed with a relentless dull ache; strange, but that's where the pain settles after a kick in the balls. Maybe it's what Kai had needed. It had been a while since he had felt any real pain and the abuse from Sanguinex and Zomb made him realise that his usual pain threshold had dropped a little. That's not to say Kai was grateful for the wakeup call, or that he was going to let it lay. In Balkov, if someone attacks, you get them back later….twice as hard. You make sure they never touch you again.

The daylight, the White Tigers, the past, were slammed out of view as the front doors closed as if forever. Kai brushed by her and it wasn't until he was halfway across the vast entrance hall that it occurred to Mariah to follow him. Explanation? Fuck off, this was Kai. Mariah almost had to jog to keep up. Further back into the building they went, finally arriving in a small clinical room. Kai locked the door behind them.

He reached up into one of the wall mounted cupboards and pulled out a small box from the back. She watched as he opened it and took out a strip of pills.

"What are they?" she asked

"Pain killers" he replied bluntly

"Should you be taking those? Maybe we should ask fir" Too late, he dry swallowed a couple of them before she could finish her sentence, not that it would have made a difference if she had. At least, now, he knew relief was on the way.

She noticed that he pocketed them rather than putting them back; a worrying sign that they might be needed later.

"Kai, you should rest and I really don't think you should be swallowing pills like that. They might not be good for you." Mariah was genuinely concerned for his safety and now sprang forth the worry that he might be some kind of pill junkie.

"Let's just be clear about our arrangement. You don't get to tell me what to do. You don't question what I do. You do exactly what I say, exactly when I say it. Understand?"

She recoiled slightly at his military style rant.

"Ok, I get it. I just want to look out for you, is that a crime?"

"No, it's just unnecessary."

She didn't want to argue further, the idea of displeasing him felt suddenly unbearable.

How naïve she was to think it was he who needed her help in this place. Keeping her safe was going to be a mission in itself; one he had no choice but to accept. He took in the sight of her, mentally appraising what he saw: the hair, the body, the makeup, the top with off the shoulder straps that left him guessing whether she was wearing a bra or not ….Jesus, she was going to command the attention of every one of his low life associates. A moment of negligence on his part would give more than enough of an opportunity for any one of them to get at her. Kai already knew Brian had shown an interest in her and Brian was a psychopath. She was just his type, pretty and a little too gullible. The problem was that Brian wasn't too good with girls – at least not after the initial seduction and sex. After, he would find some petty excuse to get angry with them, violent with them; dozens of once beautiful young faces had been left slashed, beaten, and even chemically burned. Beauty never to return.

It was boys only at Balkov; mostly teenage boys, abnormal ones at that. For the most part, they fell into rank and file. They knew their place, they knew how to take orders and they knew never to go against their superiors but even Kai doubted whether his title of Voltaire's grandson and heir to Balkov, would be enough to keep them from helping themselves to his new little sidekick.

"Kai? Exactly what is this place? It seems a little excessive to be just a Beyblade training school."

"Beyblading is just one part of what this place is about."

"So what's the rest?"

Kai leaned against the counter, looking downward, intensely contemplating what to tell her and what not to. Inevitably, if she was going to be staying here, she would end up seeing and hearing no end of shit, confidential or otherwise….

"Kids from messed up backgrounds end up here." He eventually said.

"Messed up backgrounds?"

"Orphans, criminals, homeless kids, abused runaways."

"Oh." She almost regretted asking.

"They come from all over Russia and some of the satellite countries, to train."

"As bladers?"

"At first. Some end up as agents; some end up more like soldiers."

"That's ridiculous. You don't go from blader to secret agent."

"Kids can be trained from a very young age to be specifically developed mentally and physically to do anything. Blading is all about conflict, tactics, fighting, winning. It's the perfect starting point, and it's commercial."

"But…but…kids can't be agents or soldiers."

"Tell that to Al Qaeda or Hitler's Youth, take your pick; it's been going on for years."

Those beautiful eyes brimmed with confusion.

"So, if they're soldiers, who are they going to be fighting for? The Russian army?"

"It's not that straight forward anymore. No country can make a military move without the rest of the world coming down on them. It gets too complicated, too bloody and too expensive."

She looked perplexed, and was altogether missing the point of the conversation.

"War has changed. It's better to have small numbers of well-trained people who know how to be discreet; who hit specific targets or attain specific information. The kids here grow up and get initiated into private organisations worldwide; they work for all kinds of groups, everything from car companies to violent political parties."

"And what about you? Huh? What are you going to become after you graduate from Balkov?"

She caught the half smirk that crept on to his face.

"It's a little different for me. My grandfather owns this place. He's in charge. Right now, I work for him. One day, I guess I'll take over."

She looked shocked.

"Your grandfather? So, right now, what does he want you to do?"

"Simple. Win the Beyblade world tournament and get Black Dranzer under control. He doesn't care what order they get done."

"How come you switched to Black Dranzer? What's so special about him?"

Kai suddenly looked up at her, she had referred to Black Dranzer as 'him'. She recognised the creature as more than some inanimate energy force, as more than some weapon…..

"The question and answer session is over."

The buzz was really kicking in. He knew he would feel twice as shit in the morning, but for now the pain was subsiding, dissolving in a heated rush of blood and chemicals. Balkov had its good points among the many bad; readily accessible, super strength medication was one of them.

He ceased to lean against the surface and stood up straight before her, the movement prickling her senses slightly; he looked serious, strong and with an unmistakable edge of determination.

"Mariah"

She was suddenly taken aback by the sound of her own name coming from him.

"You need to understand, this is not some kind of vacation. You need to stay vigilant and use Galux if you have to protect yourself."

"I'm not scared. I'm not going to let anyone here victimise m….."

She found herself lurching forward, her arm in his grasp, so quick. The grey floor filled her vision, the room span, grey, cream, beige….her ribcage made contact with the smooth cold surface of the wall and the breath was knocked from her lungs. Fear, but no pain.

He used the weight of his body to keep her in place, the metal buckle of his belt, pressed firmly into her lower spine, his chest against her shoulder blades, her hands were held tightly by his. She was terrified, had he turned against her?

"I'm injured and I trapped you with one hand. Have I made my point?"

The tough chick act hadn't washed with him; it didn't suit her and, anyway, she couldn't back it up.

She felt like crying, not because he could have hurt her or because he had thrown her against the wall, but because she had annoyed him and drove him to make his point so vividly. She had to accept his protection, his terms and conditions of her stay, his orders…She had abandoned Lee for this? A cool shiver passed over her skin; the feeling of Kai's hand softly grazed the side of her neck as he brushed her long hair aside, everything from him exuding intensity. Now maybe this is what she abandoned Lee for.

Kai spoke, silky and serious next to the sparkle of her earring, "You're not a person here, you're what they dream about. You're what they pray for, and you're what they prey on."

Everything seemed suddenly darker; the room, the mood, his eyes. She no longer doubted the dangers of staying at Balkov, indeed, she feared its male residents, its large and complex structure and the undeniable evil air it held. But it was precisely that fear that intrigued her; desirous and strangely addictive...

All at once she had to gather her thoughts and quickly follow after him, out of the room, down the corridor, down some stairs, through a large cold hall and finally to some large double doors.

For half a second he seemed to think twice before pushing them open…

The murmuring died. A couple of pool balls knocked together as one young man finished taking a shot. Through the bluey layer of cigarette smoke, a dozen faces were looking from various positions around the room. Two steps in and Kai closed the doors behind her. It was some kind of rec room, a pool hall. The only sources of light were those that hung above the green felt of the pool tables. Chairs and tables lined the room in a large rectangle, a couple of vending machines hummed in the background.

Mariah gasped! It was one of the players….Sanguinex.

The quizzical expressions on the boys' faces quickly turned to smirks and dirty grins as they took in the sight of the girl.

"Oh Kai, you didn't need to trouble yourself coming all this way. I was planning on visiting you after lights out." Sanguinex passed his pool cue to one of the other guys and extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray next to the center pocket.

"And look at that boys. See what he has with him? That's very nice, where did you find it?"

Almost trembling in the body heat and smoke that filled the room, she desperately wanted to convince Kai to leave with her. They circled around to better take in the exotic beauty and she felt the weight of their scrutiny; a dozen hard trained sixteen year olds with raw intentions. Frightening, barely covered it. Stranded now in an ocean of danger, Kai was her only chance of survival.

He loosened, then removed his scarf "Hold this." He said to her. She felt unexpected relief at being able to clutch at something. Especially something soft, something of his.

Sanguinex was laughing "Hey boys, I think he wants to fight. You remember how to fight Kai? Huh? Fucking remember? You spoiled little prick! Grampy's not here to hold your hand now. Who the fuck do you think you are? You think you stand a chance? You've been at that private preppy high school too long and hanging out with those retarded Bladebreaker kids."

Zomb edged closer to Mariah as Sanguinex continued to trash talk in the background. The Frankenstein youth's scarred face was the ugliest thing she'd ever seen; she backed up a little. Kai was right there, why was this freak approaching her when Kai was right there? Tightened with panic, she backed away as best she could.

"And when I've pounded some damn sense into you, I'm gonna make you lick every last dried beer stain, every last cigarette end and every last drop of blood off this floor and while you're doing that, you can watch your girlfriend suck my dick."

"Kai!" she cried out, as Zomb swiped out towards her.

Kai was consumed by the darkest feeling. It came down, it's what he wanted, needed even. People talk about red mist, but he could literally feel the threeway pulse of hate, anger, adrenaline. The emotional tempest of a murderer freed him of any fear, any weakness, any humanity. Metal and leather cut through the air cleanly as Kai's fist connected with Sanguinex's jaw. Lightening shot up the vampire's face, his mouth filled by his own cold blood, his tongue impaled by a fang, the other fang chipped, its perfect point now glinting on the floor.

The onlookers gasped, there was some swearing and words of disbelief….. then encouragement for the fight to continue.

"Shit!" said Zomb, now too distracted to bother with Mariah.

The same whiteknuckled fist struck Sanguinex again. Metal studs pounding his right temple and eye socket; vision gone in that eye, replaced by coloured swirls of blazing agony.

Mariah was awestruck by Kai's speed, his strength.

The vampire bent forward, the disc of pain in his head, behind his eyes, between his ears had totally taxed his balance. He staggered. Kai's hand tore through his hair, wrenching his skull back…SLAM! Off the pool table corner. Blood escaped in all directions, landing on those who had gotten too close. Cold, syrupy, coppery spatters.

She thought it was over, she wanted to run to him. He moved away from Sanguinex, Zomb was getting involved now. Squaring up against Kai, pool cue in hand. His slow brain desperately trying to conjure up some attack stategy. A hit to the upper body maybe? That would hurt more…but then again, a hit to the lower body would probably immobilise hi…

"Agghhuughh!"

Zomb's lower ribcage and stomach exploded with pain as Kai snatched the cue and kicked him heel first in the guts. He held it diagonally, snapping it roughly in half under his boot.

One swift thrust and the sharp, splintered implement was lodged in Sanguinex's bloody torso. "" The vampire curled and shrieked in some God awful unnatural high pitch.

Kai's face was dark and hate filled, not a shred of humanity, as he kicked the agony stricken thing in the face. Sanguinex now fearful of more pain, grunted and choked his cries away "mmnnnngh….nnnmmmgghhhh…..gnnnhhgh", Mariah cringed, he sounded like some dying farmyard animal. A part of her wanted desperately to beg Kai to stop but right now, he was the most terrifying person in the room, _….don't tell me what to do… _his words echoed in her mind; she couldn't risk pissing him off, she couldn't stand the thought of having him direct any anger at her.

It was Zomb's turn. Kai retrieved the thick end of the broken cue, the contours of his biceps catching the dim light, the newly forming smiles of his onlookers, as he raised the weapon. The skin on Mariah's back and shoulders itched as it cut through the air, the feathery hum just before the dull but deathly connection to Zomb's body. "Agghh…No…please…no…AGHH..." Again, it came down, again, again, the satisfaction, the pleasure of causing the freak pain driving him on, the end of the cue fractured as the wood splintered further. "Agghhh….enough….I …didn't want to touch you….it was him….AGHHHHHHH" The final hit split the end of the cue; Zomb was silent. Kai didn't care.

He dropped his makeshift weapon and it rolled a little way in the silence. Mariah's heart was pounding like a race horse's hooves, she was suddenly worried he could hear it, that it might annoy him. Seconds passed as Kai seemed to revel in standing over the two heaps of blood and broken skin.

One of the other boys stepped forward, immediately putting up both hands to show he wasn't asking for a fight. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, pushing one outward a little as he offered it.

Kai looked, but that was about as much as he was prepared to give in terms of acknowledgement. Then he glimpsed her, frightened; eyes shining at him from beneath volumous bangs. It had felt all the sweeter to fight and win in front of her. Fighting while a girl watches, seems to add to the aggression and anger of it all; there's always that extra point to prove in front of her.

The silence did the talking. Kai began to leave unannounced, in much the same way he had entered.

She could tell, as he got closer, that he had simmered down. All of a sudden he seemed so imposing, she took a step back. When did he get so tall?

He raised a hand and placed it on the back of her neck, turning her, guiding her. She gasped a little, the side of her throat against his fingertips, his bodyheat against her back as he slowly marched her out of the room, making her walk in front of him as if he wanted to shield her from the other boys' sight.

Back out into the hall and the light. That last taste of smoke, and sweat and leather leaving the very back of her tongue, the goosebumps retracting back into her skin as he let her go.

His voice came unexpectedly "Did he touch you?"

"Wh…what?"

"Did…that…stitched up….freak….touch you?"

She felt dizzy; it was impossible to tell whether he was concerned about her or annoyed.

"…No….He…tried to, but he didn't."

What the fuck was this? Was he looking for some excuse to go back in there and stake Zomb too?

And all of a sudden it was like she wasn't there; he had this way of fazing her out of existence in between talking to her and those…other….moments they had shared.

She couldn't concentrate as she traipsed behind him but the next thing she knew, they were standing by an elevator. He had his arms crossed which, in Kai body language, meant piss off and don't talk to me. But the question begged to be asked.

"Kai? Are they dead?"

His eyes were narrowed slightly and he made her wait a little longer than necessary for the answer. "No"

She was still holding his scarf and doing that fucking thing that girls do when they hold school books against their body. Arms unconsciously pulled too tightly together in that way that pushes their tits up….and makes them look bigger…. The cold steel of beyblades, training equipment and weight bars occupied his touch on a daily basis, but there was a longing to feel softness, a longing that only a girl can satisfy.

The elevator came and they stepped in.

She was relieved to feel upward momentum, she didn't want to go any deeper or darker in Balkov ….at least not today.

"So, what happens now?" she asked, trying softy to extract another morsel of information from him.

"I'm going to take a shower, and even though you're insisting on following me everywhere I go, I'm hoping I get to do that alone….. or do you need to join me to make sure I'm… ok?"

She blushed hotly, her cheeks glowing like the pink on an apple.

"What? Of course not. I don't need to see…."

She silenced herself and without looking at him, could sense the amusement he took in putting her on the spot. Despite this, she couldn't help feeling bad for him. The blood smears that marred his skin, the injuries he had sustained from earlier, the complete absence of love and compassion in his life. Still, maybe that was something she could change.


	13. Masks Slip

Voices roused Mariah from sleep. As consciousness rapidly returned, she realised they were coming from the TV over on the wall. Red, yellow and orange light streaked the room as the sun sank heavily behind the cityscape and everything felt really weird.

"Good, you're awake. We need to get going soon."

She took a quick, sharp breath as she noticed Kai next to her, sitting up, leaning back against his pillows, arms crossed. It's not like he was right next to her, but the fact that he had decided to share the bed with her was somewhat of a surprise.

"Oh? Sorry, I guess I just…kinda..fell asleep while you were in the shower." She explained clumsily as she sat up.

"Your bed's really comfortable." She sounded like a dork and she knew it.

He picked up the television remote and turned it off.

"Hey, you can finish watching that show if..."

He seemingly ignored her as he stood up and walked over to a lacquered black desk and picked up some keys.

"You ready to go?" he asked

She blinked, had she missed something?

"Go where?" she asked

"I'm taking you back to your hotel." He said.

"WHAT? Kai? I'm staying here remember?" she exclaimed

"You need to go back there."

She was staggered, furious!

"YOU BASTARD! I'M HERE TRYING TO HELP YOU, I GAVE UP MY TEAM, MY FRIENDS, MY SHOT AT WINNING THE TOURNAMENT, MY ENTIRE LIFE TO BE HERE FOR YOU!"

She was hot when she got mad, even if she was talking melodramatic shit. He was actually amused, watching as she whipped herself up into a chronic frenzy.

"You know? You're so like Ray. You like to make me think I understand the situation and then you do a one eighty on me." He remained silent as she now sat on the edge of his bed, bending all the way forward, fucking around with her boots, viciously pulling one on. "Damnit."

Her long hair fell forward over her shoulder as she was pulling on the second. Her movements, violent and exaggerated. She stood up, flicking her hair back, face like thunder.

"It's no wonder you and Ray were friends." She snarled.

Her attempts to hurt him were pathetic; if it had been him slinging the insults he knew he would have her in tears with only one or two words. Ray's rejection was her weak spot and it was apparent that she had lost trust in all men thanks to how she had been treated by him.

"Are you done?" Kai asked.

"Oh, whatever! If you really can't stand the idea of having me around, fine. But I'll be making sure that someone knows exactly what goes on here and comes to get you the hell outta…" he interrupted her.

"Actually, I was going to take you back to the hotel because I thought you might want to pick up your stuff and bring it back here."

Her mouth jammed open, poised glossy lips and pearly canines on show.

"Oh! What? Really?" she was stunned.

"Yeah, really. We have an outfitting department here but somehow, I don't think they'll have anything you'll like."

She smiled a little "I guess not. Jack boots and camouflage aren't really my style."

"Yeah well this is Balkov Abbey, not the Playboy Mansion."

Her eyes cast downward, almost in defeat. She turned away to get her purse, slowly pulling the short sleeve of her top up her arm a little. It's not that he wanted to upset her over her choice of clothes, in all honesty, she was more than appealing in the stilettoes and short skirts that he had seen her in recently, but he was not the type to tell her she looked beautiful enough to make most guys ache….

…..Anyway, his plans for her were limited, all he'd had time to think about was that she needed her stuff and he had to keep her safe until she got too bored or too scared to stay any longer.

He heard her take a deep breath.

"Kai? I'm sorry I went off like that. I should have let you explain."

"How about we get going?"

"Yeah, sure" she replied, still feeling sheepish.

Out in the hall, she regained a sense of where she was, having nearly forgotten through being wrapped up in his glamorous trappings for the last few hours. Kai's room had been designed like a New York apartment, all straight lines, studio lighting and expensive furniture. But, elsewhere, the regal corridors, the sweeping stairs, the ceiling high windows and the gothic chandeliers served to remind her of the building's true dark and ancient past. Vast and complex, its layout could easily swallow her just as it had done earlier, down in its depths where everything was cold and stoney. Alongside Kai, it was a completely different matter; he obviously knew his way around and while it seemed like nothing to him, the exploration of this place left her dangerously simmering with excitement.

Kai didn't much appreciate the job of serving as her personal tour guide but the look of wonderment on her face every time they passed a portrait or a stunning window view, almost made the job worth doing. There wasn't much time to think about the extraordinary circumstances he had ended up in and no doubt, she would have a ton of questions to ask him later but right now he was relishing the absence of conversation. It was good to have her quiet; it gave him time to think.

Although they didn't really talk as they journeyed on through the building, she made sure to say "thanks" every time he held a door open for her. Eventually she found herself next to him in an elevator going down; a feeling that made her uneasy.

Down, down, down…. Then stillness.

The doors opened revealing a vast, dark, underground parking lot filled with a number of cars and other vehicles that she couldn't quite make out.

She followed him out, shivering a little as a cold breeze drifted against her. The noise from her high heel shoes echoed over the concrete as she walked with him. She had assumed they would walk back to the hotel but, obviously, Kai had arranged some transport; that was something she was glad about. Her boots had definitely not been made for walking, plus it was really cold out, and this entire city now scared the ever-loving shit out of her.

The double beep made her jump as he deactivated the central locking on a sleek and expensive looking car…..Wait, hold on!

She was suddenly a little flustered "Kai? How old are you? I mean….you can drive?"

He leaned on the roof of the car from over on the driver's side, looking at her.

"Fifteen, and yeah, I can."

Clearly, he was multi-talented and had been forced to grow up a hell of a lot faster than most, but right now, that suited her. It felt real good to sink into the passenger seat, surrounded by a swish interior, next to him.

Kai started the engine, shifted into gear and drove onwards and out of the lot.

"So you're fifteen? Don't you have to be older to drive in Russia."

"Probably. Do me a favour and watch out for the cops."

"What cops?"

"Exactly."

…..!

Was he deliberately trying to make her feel stupid? Possibly, but why did it feel so damn reassuring to think that he knew it all, had all the answers, knew all the moves. Why did she find herself wanting to ask stupid questions, and make idle conversation just to hear his voice?

Fairy light drifts of heat from the engine filtered through the air con system, stroking her legs and feeling almost as good as a lover's touch.

Street light striped over and over the car, alternating bands of darkness and dirty yellow. Buildings beige with black windows, shady characters walking along the street…..probably on their way to play illegal poker games and file off car chassis ID numbers.

She checked to see if the car doors were locked. They were.

She found herself not wanting the journey to end. There was a sense of controlled comfort that she was sure he felt too. She shivered at knowing how cold it was outside while simultaneously taking pleasure in the subtle heat and the sound of the engine; somewhere between a roar and a purr.

He kept stealing glances at her. It was simply impossible not to. It had been a while since the last….no….let's not go there ….just yet….

Mariah was a whirlwind of intriguing features. When happy, her face would light up, bright with mischief or devilment….a wicked glint in her eyes. Angry, she burned. Angry with Ray and she burned with blackest scorn. Then there were times, like right now, when she was emotional and subdued…eyes slightly heavy…mind drifting….lips parted, just barley, like those of an actress from one of those slutty chocolate bar adverts from the 80s.

It was something to look at, on the sly, but nothing to stir his curiosity enough to ask what was on her mind. Besides, he had his own thoughts to contend with. Too many of them were about her.

The hotel came into sight and Kai slowed to a stop just out front.

Parking brake on, gear in neutral, ignition off. The rest was up to her.

She looked to her side; the darkness suited him.

She had guessed that he wouldn't accompany her but still couldn't help feeling disappointed that he didn't even offer.

"Kai? You'll still be here when I get back, right?"

"….Just don't take all night."

She nodded slightly, unfastened her seatbelt and got out. Skirt riding up as short ones do, giving him the slightest flash of her underwear. The back of his throat tightened slightly and there was a distinct twitch in a ligament below the beltline; it's amazing what an inch of black lace can do.

The hotel didn't feel the same. It was as though she was trespassing or something, but she still had her room key-card.

She made her way to her (ex) team's room, worrying the whole time. Hesitating outside the door; fear and guilt keeping her at bay. She closed her eyes, inserted the card and was in.

It was pure darkness except for the scarce strip of light that seeped in through where the two curtains didn't quite meet. There was a heavy scent of alcohol.

She felt around on the wall, searching for the light switch, in a click, the room was dimly lit.

"Damnit, I told you two to….Mariah?"

She gasped at the sight of him, laying on the bed, a glass bottle next to him. Lee looked wrecked. His eyes struggling to focus in the low lamp light, hair a bedraggled mess and too much aggression in his voice.

"You've come back to me. All right! I knew you would." He laughed as he flopped back.

"See? You should have listened to me in the first place. Kai's an asshole and the next time I see that sonofabitch I'm gonna tear him a new one."

For the first time in her life she felt wary of Lee. He had a temper at the best of times but now he was drunk and, worse, unpredictable.

"….Hey Lee. I just missed you guys so much." She lied.

"Yeah? Who did you miss the most?" he asked, lurching forward.

"Ummm…..well….you of course." She instantly regretted saying it.

He staggered to his feet, walking one foot in front of the other like a bow legged cowboy.

"Really?" he asked

She backed away a little.

"And the others too, of course. I mean, I like all you guys the same." She tried to rescue the situation but Lee already had alcohol induced ideas of his own.

"Yeah…yeah…forget the others. It's just you and me."

Her fears came true as he got close, reaching out for her.

"Lee, you've been drinking! You need to lay down or something." She said quickly and in a panic.

"Good idea." He said, pulling her toward the already messed up bed.

"No! Lee! No!" she shrieked. He smiled, laughed even, then had her against the wardrobe doors, mouth against her neck "You look so good tonight." Breath, whiskey strong. Pinning and pulling her as he tried, with no dexterity, to kiss her. Catching her cheek, her jaw, the side of her mouth as she struggled and pushed and panicked.

"Come on, come on" he said, halfway between begging and ordering. Catching her hand in his. Lowering it down.

"…No" she whimpered. Everything feeling hideously wrong. The rough denim against the back of her knuckles as he ushered her hand down the front of his jeans.

"Feel it…you fucking want it." He said, getting nastier.

The chocking sensation in her throat getting worse. Her hand lost in a tight compound of fabric, heat….bristling hair and aroused skin.

He was so strong, stronger than she realised and she was no match for his upper body strength…she thought frantically….a weakness, any weakness….his ego. She stopped fighting him, "Lee…", "Lee", between breaths …..and kisses…and forced touching.

"What?" he muffled

"Listen, why don't you take a shower and sober up a little while I….get ready for you in here." It took everything in her to hide the sickness and terror.

He looked at her a little confused "You think I can't handle this watery Russian shit?" he pointed to another empty bottle right next to the TV. "I'm never too fucked to drink, and I'm never too drunk to fuck." He laughed.

His words shocked her despite knowing it was what he had wanted for some time.

"I….I…just thought you might wanna clear your head a little before we…..before we settle down for the night."

He just wanted to continue mauling her, burying his face into her perfumed hair and neck. Feeling her body soft and firm all in one. Her hand awkwardly wrestling in his pants as he held it there. He was running on pure confidence; it was through the roof after an evening of gut wrenching depression, booze and Russian pay-per-view porn.

"Shower? Yeah….yeah, ok." He said. The promise of ploughing her was enough to inspire some degree of sobriety.

Much to her relief, he backed off, holding his spinning head. He made his way over to the bathroom, swaying like a palm tree in a hurricane, "I love you" he said, then went in.

She found herself shivering and feeling sick. How could things have gotten to this? She knew Lee felt strongly for her but thought he had resigned to his belief that she would end up with Ray. She never imagined that Lee would actually make a move on her. Ray was supposed to have stopped anything like that from happening.

At the sound of water she leapt into action. She dove into the wardrobe, pulled out her case and began desperately tearing her clothes and belongings from the hangers, the dresser, the drawers and nightstand. She knelt in front of her suitcase, frantically pulling at the zip which failed to do up because she hadn't folded anything properly. The water stopped. At least a minute had passed but it felt like only ten seconds. "No, come on, come on" she pleaded. Her fingers were marked red from where the metal zip had dug in. Just a couple more seconds and she would be out of there. She summoned strength from sheer desperation and the zip finally gave.

"What's going on?" Lee said in altogether more composed way.

She turned to face him standing in the short corridor that led to the only way out. She'd never seen him in just his boxers before.

"Err…nothing…I was just…..just."

Fuck the explanation, fuck the case. She ran.

There was nothing worth listening to on the radio. Kai sat back, arms crossed, eyes closed. He had a schedule to keep, he had business to do, how wa...?

A flutter in his gut.

Eyes wild open, he looked out the driver's side window. In his experience, girls in high heels only run for one reason…and it ain't because they're trying to catch a bus.

He got out of the car.

Blindly she ran towards him. Burning tears meant all she could she were starbursts of street light against the dark evening.

He reached out and caught the top of both her arms. He was sure that if he'd left her running, she would have ended up in the road.

She choked and cried.

"Kai…..Kai…." she sobbed in between. "….he….he made me…" More sobbing.

Staring down at her, he narrowed his eyes…..

Buckling to his strength, she lowered and sat in the driver's seat as he guided her.

"Alright, move over."

She moved. Spreading her legs over his gear stick while sliding into the passenger seat. A burning distraction.

"Where's your suitcase?" he asked.

She looked at him in disbelief. Didn't he want to know what had happened? Didn't he want to know if she was ok?

Truth was, the answer to both questions were pretty obvious to him.

"It….it's…"

Another wave of sobbing and crying came out of her as she hugged herself. It was starting to get to him. A reminder of why he never bothered to get so close to girls before. Emotional time bombs waiting to off-load their problems, complications and other shit that he didn't need.

"I got everything packed but Lee…..wouldn't let me take it." She finally managed, content for Kai to simply listen.

"He'd been drinking….a lot…..he was acting so weird and angry…..I don't even think he was happy to see me…he just wanted sex."

Kai tensed. That familiar bolt of adrenaline and fury that shot up the side of his neck.

"I can't believe….he just…he was really gonna do it to me."

Kai noticed the feint red marks on her arms, her wrists. He shouldn't have cared. Her business with her ex team was nothing to do with him. But even Kai couldn't hide his disgust at the thought of Lee throwing his weight around against her.

"He kissed me….a lot. God, it felt so gross…."

Kai had heard enough. He had his excuse.

"Have you got the door card?"

She fumbled in her purse and passed the card to him.

"I'll be five minutes."

"NO! Don't just leave me out here." She snatched out frantically at his arm. Gripping, like he was holding her over a cliff.

"I'll lock you in. You'll be safe."

Her shining eyes searching his unreadable features. Hand letting go softly at his promise. Safe.

It was a little blurry after that. She dazed in and out of awareness. One moment wanting to sleep, the next, sharp and alert; fearing every sound was someone out to get her.

Half-conscious in the blue light of the TV, Lee was spread over the bed covers. Eyes flickering, rolling as the room spinned…. The quiet click and close of the door alerted him to a presence.

"Mariah?" he asked

"Afraid not."

The main light came on. "Argh!" Lee groaned as he shielded his eyes with his forearm.

Kai immediately saw what must have been her suitcase and proceeded to pick it up.

"YOU? Oh no. No way. NO FUCKING WAY!"

Lee staggered around to square up to the enemy intruder.

"PUT THAT DOWN! You're not taking anything out of here."

"Just why are you so desperate to hang on to a load of g-strings and hotpants?" Kai asked

"…Oh, you're dead. YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!" Lee yelled

Kai stepped aside as Lee clumsily lurched at him. Snarling, furious, the tanned terror took drastic measures. He snatched out at an empty vodka bottle, grasping it by the neck. Grinning inanely as he brought it down through the air….SMASH!...

Jaggered and dangerous, it had become Lee's weapon.

"Mariah always was a sucker for a pretty face. We'll see how much of a pretty boy you are when I'm done with you. "

He brandished it, gripping it firmly. Lee was a hard martial artist, but only a scared man needs a weapon.

Kai released the suitcase. Noting the tension in Lee's thighs, he was getting ready…..getting ready…

Lee, started coming at him. His grip suddenly on Kai's shoulder as Kai held Lee's other hand aloft along with the bottle. Pushing with rage. Kai's back slamming against the balcony doors, forcing them open. Lee's bloodshot eyes full of hate, full of jealousy….

Kai twisted his ankle around Lee's, his back and hip launched into the move. Kai's strength and technique throwing Lee against the railing, ice cold metal against angry gut…..the bottle falling…falling…..smashing on the ground below.

Lee desperately tried to shrug Kai off. Twisting his shoulder blades and grunting heavily but it was clear the next move was Kai's.

"…Alright….Alright….I'm done. You can have the bitch. I don't give a fuck. Just get out of here."

Weak relief washed over Lee. He was too drunk to feel any shame. This was the part where Kai would let him go, give him a dirty look and walk away like nothing had ever happened…..

Indeed, the grip loosened and Lee felt his arms free. But that was about as far as his expectations were met…..

She shrieked as she heard the trunk open and close.

Kai got in.

They drove.

She looked at him, then out the front. She wasn't in the mood for him to pretend she wasn't there.

"Well?" she asked

"What?"

"What happened in there? You were gone for ages!"

"You know what Lee's like."

"What's that supposed to mean? Kai what happened?...Kai?"

She was only asking out of concern, out of worry but now he was kind of tired. His head was spinning and he had a strained wrist, aching knuckles and a short temper. He had enough dealing with ghosts and monsters from his own past and he resented having to deal with hers.

The car swirved, screeching to a stop.

"Oh God!" she exclaimed in a panic.

There was a coldness in his eyes, a bitterness in the silence. Sometimes a bad atmosphere says it all.

"You hurt him, didn't you?"

"He'll live."

"That's not the way to deal with it!" she cried

"Really? So what do we do instead? How about we round up Ray and Tyson and Mr Dickinson and all your friends and tell them everything; every detail."

"….No…I don't want anyone to know…I….." And then she remembered. That was exactly how she had wanted to deal with Kai's forced encounter.

An assault of conflicting emotions erupted inside her, anger, concern and layering them all was a deep rooted pain that threatened to take her breath away. It was the realisation that she was completely on her own now. She had turned her back on Kevin and Gary and couldn't even stomach the thought of rekindling friendship with Lee, or Ray for that matter. Crawling back to her old life was not an option. That bouncy, giggly fourteen year old girl was dead. The sassy runaway in skirts too short and heels too high had replaced her and all she had now was the antithesis to Prince Charming.

How would he ever accept her as his…..friend… when he had to take care of her like a two year old all the time? Why couldn't she be mature enough to be the woman he needed? She'd spent over a decade shaping herself into the kind of person her friends and family could be proud of and it had all been for nothing. She was naïve and weak in Kai's world but suspected he actually liked her in such a submissive state. The glint in his eye gave it away each time he had her where he wanted her. The way he had held her, kissed her….

"What's done is done. Tomorrow, at the tournament, I don't want any more drama. You'll have one more chance to decide whether you stay with me, or leave with them."

Kai's expression was unreadable but then she didn't expect any less from him. He would never openly show what he could keep hidden. He was the master at shielding his emotions, so much so she doubted he had any. Still, masks slip….on occasion.

She was desperate. Desperate for even the smallest shred of affection. A kind word, a gentle touch, anything that might offer some comfort in the wake of the trauma and destruction that engulfed her life right now. But, of course, Kai didn't work like that. Love and acceptance were not to be dished out like confetti. In fact, now that she thought about it, the only times he had been remotely nice to her were when things took an altogether more sexual turn. It's what he understood. It's what all men understand.

Her eager gaze took in every nuance of his face. Handsome in the dim cast of the dashboard lights. His features hard and uncompromising as he stared her down.

"…I won't leave you." She said, just above a whisper.

Kai suddenly found himself cursing the rise of emotions he couldn't afford to deal with, cursing the stunning pink lynx girl who was wreaking havoc on his life in a way no other could. She had no right to do this to him. But even as he cursed her, something about her dedication felt good. Maybe he was a total sociopath…..maybe he was just excited that he wouldn't be sleeping alone for much longer.


	14. Heavy Leather

Thanks to everyone for the positive reviews and PMs. Enjoy this chapter, the next will be much longer and some pretty bad stuff will happen.

On the approach to Balkov Abbey, Mariah's stomach twisted and she wished she hadn't eaten desert. Kai had taken her out for dinner, a practical move not a romantic one. Right now he didn't have time for that bullshit. There were bigger problems at hand. She had strong-armed him into accepting her into his life and now it was down to him to make it a working reality while all the time she was pretending, dreaming maybe, that everything would somehow work itself out.

The deep breath she took alerted him to her uneasiness as they drove into the Balkov compound. His eyebrow twitched slightly. She had good reason to be scared of his Russian home but he was done trying to convince her to go back to where she belonged. If she wanted in on his territory, she was going to abide by his terms. And it was going to start now.

She followed his lead and got out the car, he locked it and they made their way to the elevator.

"Kai I should get my suitcase…"

"Someone will take care of it."

"But…"

"You'll get it later."

One look at the red abrasions on the back of his knuckles convinced her not to press the matter further.

The elevator arrived at the first floor, they stepped out and walked across the atrium, her favourite part of Balkov so far; next to Kai's room. Light cascading from crystals, reflecting off gold and illuminating the grandeur of everything.

She trotted after him as he ascended the sweeping wing of stairs to the right, drunk on the anticipation of where he might take her next in this amazing place.

He swiped a keycard through the electronic lock of two huge mahogany doors and stepped aside to let her through into the bluey dark. Several lights flickered on overhead and revealed the spacious office in which they stood. The ceiling was high and the back wall consisted of windows that stretched from the floor up to the top.

A desk dominated the back of the office and was so big, you could have parked a car on top of it. Tall built-in shelves lined the sides, filled with books, documents and all that other shit that looks important but actually, nobody reads.

Mariah gasped as Kai brushed passed her on his way to the back of the office. He gazed outside, taking in the sight of the city and for a moment Mariah thought he had simply brought her here to admire the view.

He ran his hand through his hair, exhaling a little on the heavy side.

"So, you really want to do this?" He asked

"…Yes. I want to." She replied quietly.

He had hoped, dearly, that when he had returned her to the hotel to collect her junk, she would have fallen in love with her friends all over again, and maybe even Ray. She should have come back to the car only to say 'Sorry Kai, on second thought I wanna stay with my team' and he would have been finished with her forever…But like everything else he ever hoped for, it just didn't happen.

"…Fine" he said, then moved to the left wall. She stared quizzically as he pressed a few buttons on what appeared to be a safe. He opened it, reached inside, closed it, and began to walk back to her. Something inside her fluttered, as it always seemed to whenever he got too close.

"Here" he said, passing her a deathly sharp ring of metal.

"Fix it on to your blade."

She studied it. Light, gleaming Japanese steel made up its sabre toothed circumference. A darker inner ring of alloy made up its centre layer. She was sure that it was the most dangerous thing she'd ever held, though Lee's dick came a close second.

She recognised it as the kind of attack disc that gang bladers used in the back streets of Hong Kong but this looked far more refined; an expert cut and laser job.

Each one of its five blades curved out like shark fins with an indentation on their inner facing sides, like a hunting knife. "The WBO freaks out over stuff like this. Kai, this attack disc is totally illegal."

"It's not for competition." He said.

"Why are you giving this to me?" she asked, frightened of the answer.

"Because chances are, you'll need it while you're here." He continued "I can't watch you twenty four hours a day, so if someone comes at you, just use it."

She suddenly felt a little dizzy as he started her Balkov orientation.

"There are around twelve to seventeen hundred residents here at any one time; a few women work as part of the house keeping team but apart from that, you're the only female here." He continued, "By now, word will have gotten round that you're with me but don't go thinking that counts for much. It isn't going to stop anyone coming on to you, if they like what they see."

"Well…..I'll just tone down the hair and makeup. Maybe if I look a little plainer, I won't attract so much attention…. I know! I've got this one pair of jeans that I've had, like, forever…they're so boring and"

"That won't help." He cut her off. "In fact, it would probably make this whole situation even more unbelievable."

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody would believe I've gone out of my way for some random girl that looked like she got dressed at a yard sale."

"…..So you want me to dress up?...So that the other boys here think I'm your slutty girlfriend?"

"In their minds, that's about the only conceivable reason why I would have anything to do with you."

She let his words sink in, feeling her startled emotions at the sleazy plan.

"….Ok….I get it." She said quietly, wrestling with her 'golden girl' morals.

"Good. And one more thing, when we see the Bladebreakers and the White Tigers at the tournament tomorrow, I want all contact with them kept to a minimum. Actually, it would be better to completely avoid them."

"I don't know if I can do that. I mean, not all of them are bad. I have to at least say hello and ask how everyone is doing. Even Lee, I guess."

"…Just don't get any stupid ideas about reneging on our deal."

"Are you saying that you don't trust me? Do you honestly think I would tell anyone how Sanguinex and Zomb attacked you after I promised I wouldn't?"

"Don't talk like you're doing me a favor."

"Well at least I'm trying to do something to help! After everything I've been through tonight, you haven't even asked how I'm doing."

He got close; real, in her face, close.

"If you're going to make every situation about you, 'Princess', then I have to warn you, that's the quickest way to get on my bad side. I don't know what Lee did exactly, but you're not hurt, you're not bleeding, so I don't need to ask every two minutes whether you're ok."

Fire came from somewhere within her. Fire that only a ripped body and dangerous eyes could provoke. She stepped up in response, 5ft 4 without heels but with them, just tall enough to look him in the face.

"Do you want to know what he did? " She snapped, almost daring him.

He smirked slightly, "….what?"

"He forced me…..he literally forced my hand in his pants and made me give him a hand-job!"

And for several moments she and Kai just stared at one another. Maybe she had shocked him and he was taking in just how awful it must have been for her…..

"….He should've tried for a blowjob. It would have made the stopover in hospital more worthwhile."

She gasped sharply, her hand covering her mouth. Staggered, repelled and extraordinarily fascinated at the same time. It hardly even registered when he walked away, towards the doors. It was only when he turned the lights out and submerged her in darkness that she snapped out of her stunned daze and marched after him.

It turned him on. Chipping away her innocence bit by bit. The sound of her high heels stabbing into the carpet as she raged after him. That voice, "Damnit, Kai! Get back here!"

Something making him love the way she screamed his name and how it echoed around the entire hall, off every chandelier crystal, off every…

…..

…..

Fuck!

Voltaire and Boris looked over at Kai as he emerged out onto where the entrance hall staircases led down.

"Kai?" his Grandfather enquired, interrupted by the sound of a young girl's voice. As she quickly caught up, Kai held out his left arm to stop her going any further forward, to keep her behind him. The leather and metal of his glove nudging against the front of her body.

"Good evening, Kai" said Boris with a smile.

"…What is going on here? And who is this young lady?" Voltaire asked

"… Don't worry about her, she'll be gone soon." Kai sneered

"Voltaire, Sir, if I'm not mistaken, I would say we're in the presence of young love."

"Is that so?"

Mariah remained silent, concealing the attack disc Kai had given her.

"My dear," Boris started "Permit me to introduce myself, my name is Boris Balkov. I oversee many aspects of the training and learning that takes place here at the Abbey. And this is Voltaire Hiwatari, Kai's grandfather and owner of Hiwatari Enterprises."

"…Hello, I'm Mariah. Nice to meet you both." She uttered as politely as she could.

"Ahh, Mariah, such a beautiful name. I…oh..yes, now I recognise you. You're a member of the White Tiger team, are you not?"

Kai was getting angry at the way this fucking pervert was talking like he was from another century or something. Like he was a perfectly respectable member of the upper classes. It almost made sense why, in this country, Communist leaders carried out acts of blood drenched genocide to wipe that bullshit out.

"The White Tigers? But the tournament final is tomorrow. Shouldn't you…" Said Voltaire

"I'm not part of that team anymore." She said quickly, guessing at what he was about to say.

"Well I think it's wonderful that we have such an attractive guest staying with us. Sir, who are we to stand in the way of romance?"

"…Hmmmm. Kai, make sure you are not distracted from your obligations."

"…Anything else?" Kai asked with an undeniable hint of sarcasm.

"Not right now."

"Come sir, let's leave them to enjoy the rest of their evening. And Mariah, I do hope you have a wonderful time here at Balkov Abbey, it truly is a remarkable place."

Voltaire turned his hard, suspicious stare away from the two teenagers and continued with Boris to descend the wide stairway.

"Well that was weird." Mariah whispered. "Whoa!" She gasped as Kai suddenly took her by the wrist, dragging her along as he walked across the hallway "I can't walk fast in these shoes!" she whined, but he ignored her.

She soon began to recognise the hallway from earlier as they ended up back at his room.

Her face brightened instantly "Hey, my suitcase! How did it get up here?"

"One of the porters brought it." Said Kai

"Things seem to happen like magic around here." She said

"Not really. All vehicles get scanned when they enter the premises. Your suitcase would have been detected."

She looked up to see him with a bag of his own, shoving a load of clothes and stuff into it from one of the built in closets.

"So…you're grandfather's pretty strict huh?"

He didn't answer

"And as for that Boris guy, what a creep. I'm sure he was trying to be nice and everything, but he came on a little strong don't you think?"

Kai closed the closet door a little harder than necessary, zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Housekeeping will bring breakfast up at six a.m. and we leave for the tournament at seven. I'll come get you, if you're not ready, I won't wait." He stated

"Where are you going?" she asked in a panic

"I'm joining my team in the barracks. You'll be sleeping here."

It suddenly dawned on her that she hadn't even considered what the sleeping arrangements might be during her stay. Throughout years of touring with her all-male team it had become normal to bunk with any combination of them. Five months ago, she had even slept next to Lee, a thought that now left her deeply disturbed. She was glad Kai had it all figured out but couldn't help feeling weirdly torn, it was correct and respectable for them to sleep separately, obviously Kai didn't want to sleep with her and vice versa – it would be too weird? Right? But then why did it come as such a disappointment?

Sleeping alone in this strange new place, no matter how well styled, felt so daunting. But as Kai turned to leave, it was apparent that she would definitely be spending the rest of the night alone and simply had to accept it

She had one last little trick up her sleeve.

"Kai!" she called as he stood in the doorway. Approaching him with caution, she reached out to his left hand, her thumb gently caressing over the cuts and scrapes on his knuckles. She looked up, and in one bold move she pushed up and captured his mouth. One swift, chaste kiss.

"Feel better, ok?" she said, standing back. "Goodnight." She smiled.

He said nothing, and closed the door, shutting her out of view. Leaving her was kind of like leaving a puppy alone the first day you get it. You probably shouldn't, but you lock it in the kitchen because you've got other shit to do.

He exited the main building, crossed the training yard and entered the barracks. It had been a while since he last crashed there. But he welcomed the challenge of toughing it out with the other guys. He pushed the double doors open and most of the talking stopped as everyone watched him enter. Tala's scarlet hair stood out at the back so Kai made his way in that direction.

It was half an hour until lights out and Tala was laying back in bed, relaxing. He saw Kai coming over but made no real effort to acknowledge him. On the opposite row, Bryan, Ian and Spencer had noticed their captain, but decided not to pause their card game.

And on the bunk one over from Tala, sat a familiar kid. Alexander, polishing his boots.

"Hey, kid."

"you talkin' to me?" said Alexander

"yeah."

"Well what the fuck do you want?"

"Move your junk. Find somewhere else to sleep."

"No fucking way."

The kid had no respect. And Kai could not allow him to talk to him like shit in front of everyone else. Kai dropped his bag on the floor.

Alexander yelped as Kai came from behind, snatching the boot from his hand and ….WWWWWWWHHHHAACKK!*!...

Hit him over the head with it. Heavy leather coming down with enough force to hammer nine inch nails into wood.

"OW….FUCK!" Alexander cried, curling up on the floor, holding his head. Blood seeping from the freshly slit head wound that Kai had inflicted.

"Uuuuooofff" Alexander yelped again as Kai threw the boot and it hit him in the kidney area.

There was a loud clatter as Kai flicked the top sheet and knocked Alexander's gear all over the floor. A low murmur of laughter set in from all around as everyone sniggered at the pathetic little prick scrambling to gather his crap together.

Kai sat down on the edge and began to remove his scarf and gloves.

"You've been a busy boy today." Tala remarked calmly "I can't remember the last time there was so much gossip. It was so boring until you turned up. You'll have to come back to Balkov more often."

A deeper voice came over "Nice job on the queer vamp and that fat scarred up motherfucker." Said Spencer.

"Yeah, yeah ,yeah. So he put a few holes in a few hides today but I wanna know about the girl." Said Bryan as they all surrounded Kai who had now garnered their attention. "It's that chick from the White Tigers, right? Long hair, big tits….I'd sure like to see her again"

"You will. I heard from surveillance that the vampire slayer here, brought her back to H.Q. tonight." Said Tala

"You got a girl actually staying here?" Ian asked

The interest of everyone there was now piqued.

"….Have you got a problem with that?" said Kai

"Me? No. Of course not." Replied Ian, not wanting to piss off his Captain.

"Well I've got a problem." Said Bryan. "Actually, it's more of a question. See, I don't understand why you're down here when you could be up in H.Q., in that luxury penthouse suite of yours, screwing the brains outta that chick."

Kai stood, squaring up to Bryan in case he decided to do something stupid, like start something physical. Besides, it's always best to look another man in the eye in any exchange of words – especially when he's talking about your woman.

"I've been with her all fucking day. Get the picture?" said Kai

"Yeah, it's nice to get laid. But, damn, some bitches are high maintenance. I mean you fuck'em once and they think you wanna get married." Said Tala

"Hey Kai, I heard she was there when you took on the vamp. That true?" asked Spencer

"yeah" Kai replied bluntly

Bryan jumped in again, "So, she got a real taste of life at Balkov? She watched you make two guys nearly bleed to death and she still decided to stay? You're telling me, she doesn't mind that shit?"

"….She gets off on it." Said Kai.


	15. Hard Bitten

Seizure inducing strobe lights flashed in time to the pounding dance music. The atmosphere was electrical...

"YOU'RE GONNA REGRET TAKING ON ALL FOUR OF US! YOU GOT A DEATH WISH, KAI! YOU HEAR ME? A FUCKING DEATH WISH!" Michael yelled.

From the back rows to the front, the audience turned vocally feral and let out a deafening roar. Thousands of people, lusting for the conflict, the trash talk and the metal on metal action of pro blading.

Blades sped off, weaving from side to side in a whizzing blur of heated steel. Tryhorn charged forward, Steve forget everything as the thrill of speed and power, enough to smash bullet proof glass, took over. Suddenly, Trygator came out of nowhere! Emily thought she knew better trying to keep Steve back…. "SHIT!" he yelled as he over corrected! A sudden bash from the rear shunted him to the left and gave Black Dranzer the perfect opening.

Dark as volcano smoke, the phoenix rose from its blade, aroused by the power of the other beasts and hungry to consume them.

"HOLY SHIT!" Michael exclaimed. Staring at the red eyed mega beast, he suddenly realized why the European team had pussied out and why Dickinson had thought twice before allowing the Japanese team to go storming into this farce of a tournament.

"RECALL YOUR BIT BEASTS!" Judy Tate screamed into the arena.

But the four All Starz ignored her; quittin' wasn't the American way and if the Russians needed a reminder of that fact, then they were about to get it.

Kai watched as their blades all seemed to jockey for position from the middle of the pack. It was clearly an attempt at a crushing teamwork maneuver….but they had unwittingly made it ten times simpler for him to win. All concentrated in one space it would be easier to wipe them out in one go.

It was the perfect setup and he didn't even need to call out his beast; it was already coming.

The first red crackle of energy split the air….then the second.

"GWROOOOOOOAAAARRR!" Black Dranzer let out his Jurassic war cry. Inferno all around! The air ablaze with his power. No emotions, only fire. A living sunshine super nova; a being crafted from the purest, darkest energy and driven by instincts known only to carnivorous predators.

Judy slammed her computer shut! "Damnit! The system can't digitally recall any of our bit beasts!" There was nothing she could do now. Fifteen years of research, millions of dollars' worth of technology and an immeasurable amount of hard work; fucked. Black shadows, barely visible through the licking pink blaze.

"NO!" Emily screamed as Black Dranzer's canine teeth sank down into Trygator's thick hide and pierced his flesh.

"KAI, STOP!" she cried. The phoenix reared up ready to strike again, jaws primed to break into the gator beast's neck. Kai grinned and cast a sideways glance over at Mariah, she sat obediently on the side-line bench… one smooth tanned leg crossed over the other, and he wondered if she enjoyed watching him make this bitch suffer…..

Emily was looking frantically all around, her face streaming with tears of horror as Trygator fell with a dull thud and dissolved into a shimmering stream of pink and blue energy.

Familiar male voices, Michael, Steve, Eddy, were shouting. Every command sounding like echoes in reverse.…

One by one, Kai picked them off. Blades clashing, one shunting another sideways, another clipping the outer boundary of the dish. Trygle, Tryhorn and Trypio…..Sitting targets within the confines of a fierce blazing wall.

Orange sparks flew. Black Dranzer's mane flowed wild in a rush of air as he smashed down into the steel dish…Snarling and purring and swallowing as he inhaled the essence and power of his fallen opponents. Revelling in the feeling of their souls slipping over his rough tongue and the sound of their blood gurgling slightly as it caught in his throat. Four delicious conquests.

"Black Dranzer, return." Kai commanded.

The fire died, the air cooled and the phoenix swirled away; his still spinning blade cutting through the air and returning to his master's hand.

The commentator's voice crackled over the deafening crowd, barely audible over the PA system. Kai was declared the winner. Russia held the title.

Bryan was mentally undressing her from the other side of the locker room. Flashing her the kind of grin that a car dealer has when he sees a sucker coming. It left her shuddering…more so, when she dared to think about what he might do to her if, God forbid, she ever ended up alone with him.

He had been doing it all morning, so had the others, but he was the worst. Shooting looks of lust and amusement at her every time that Kai turned his back. Like right now, while he was distracted by Tala's words of congratulations, Bryan was busy making her feel sick…..hatred and hunger in his narrowed blue eyes….a dirty lop sided grin that left her frozen and disturbed. Her jaw locked every time she thought about calling out for Kai and informing him of how uncomfortable his gang members had made her feel that day. Instead, she kept reminding herself that it would be stupid to do so because he had warned her about this kind of shit right from the start. She simply had to accept sexual harassment as one of the occupational hazards of serving as Kai's personal cheerleader.

So she allowed herself to suffer as Bryan continued to lavish her with unwanted attention. Eyeing her intensely, shooting her a wink…..It was like she could read him as clear as any book….. the twisted, painful little fantasy that was, for sure, occupying his mind. Guessing that in his dream world she was somewhere dark and grimy, tied up, naked, begging him not to…

"…Kai!" she called out, unable to cope any longer with Bryan's antics.

Ok, this was worse because now she had the entire Russian team's attention upon her; she blushed and shifted uncomfortably. Three sets of blue eyes and one set of dark, pinning her with their quelling expressions.

She had the words ready in her mind. _…Kai, Bryan keeps staring at me…he's totally coming on to me and I'm scared. Can you please get him to stop?…._

"…um…congratulations…..on winning the tournament." She said in a tiny voice.

Kai reached into his pocket, pulled out several coins and gave them to her.

"Make yourself useful. Find a vending machine and get us some drinks. Nothing fizzy, nothing sweet."

She blinked….then sighed at realising this was his (polite) way of telling her to fuck off. On reflection, she probably had just made herself look like a dickhead but on the plus side it felt good to finally have an escape from Bryan. Hmmm….drinks waitress definitely felt like a demotion from cheerleader.

She left and walked around until she spotted a bright red Coca-Cola logo. _Nothing fizzy, nothing sweet…_ she reminded herself as she studied the vending machine's brightly colored selection menu.

"…I dunno about you guys but Black Dranzer doesn't scare me and if Mr Dickinson hadn't pulled us from the final, I'd be in that arena right now taking Kai down!" She turned at hearing the familiar voice. Damnit! Of all the people she could have run into…

Tyson stopped talking as he, Max, Kenny and, especially Ray suddenly noticed her; their breath sticking in their throats at the sight of such brash glamour.

"…Mariah…." Her new striking slutty look stunned him. "…Are you ok? I…I've been so worried about you."

"Who cares if she's ok?" Tyson snapped "She's the main reason we're in this mess" he added without recalling the situation properly. He was a passionate kid and desperate for someone to blame.

"Tyson! Kai left us before Mariah went to …er…join him. She tried to help us get him back, remember?" Said Kenny, his crush on Mariah still going strong.

"Yeah? Well isn't it ironic that traitors all stick together." Tyson spat, not really understanding the definition of ironic.

Their barrage of comments and enquiries caught her off guard but one thing she knew for sure, she hated being called a traitor. She desperately wanted them to know the truth. That Kai had been in serious danger and she was there to offer any help, any protection she could. This wasn't about betraying one team in favour of another, but she was sworn to secrecy so they could never know her true reasons for leaving them.

To Tyson and his friends, she was just the girl from the White Tigers who had turned crazy. She had stormed into Balkov Abbey to hunt Kai down, only to emerge as his new live-in girlfriend or whatever. She understood how angry and frustrated they must have been with her lack of an explanation. She also felt ashamed of her brazen appearance and the fact that she had to be so dishonest with friends who would jump in to help her (and Kai) in a heartbeat if only they knew the truth.

"I can't talk right now. Please leave me alone. I need to get back to Kai." She sounded uncharacteristically shy.

"Well of course!" Tyson exclaimed sarcastically "We can't have His Royal Highness waiting for his soda."

"Tyson! Stop shouting at her." Kenny demanded, ready to do anything to defend her.

"Oh come on, Chief! If you seriously think she's gonna come swooning over you because you stand up for her then you're not as smart as I thought. She only goes for 'bad boys', all the hot chicks do!"

Max stepped in "Tyson, this isn't helping."

"Well it's the truth. Isn't it Mariah?" – the word 'truth' stabbed at her heart.

He had slept, healed and eaten and was now revved up to spend the whole day fighting in one form or another and it looked as though he was starting with her.

Mariah's eyes were quivering, shining extra bright as tears formed; the pressure of the situation becoming too much for her.

"…believe whatever you want" she murmured in answer to Tyson. She figured if she went along with what he wanted to hear, he might leave her alone.

"See? I told you guys. She's with Kai because he's the daddy of all 'bad boys'. It's as simple as that."

"Tyson, shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. " Ray snapped

"Well then, what? Maybe it's just that she likes guys with big di..." "TYSON!" shouted Ray and Kenny in unison. This was getting waaaaay too personal.

"WHAT?! You've seen that guy in the shower! Why do think I stopped taking them after matches?"

"Personally, I always thought you were just being gross. But….you were checking out Kai? Down there?" Max exclaimed

"Grrrrrrrrr…NO! Well, not on purpose!…..He's a whole year older than me…and, and he's like five inches taller and twenty pounds heavier; he's obviously going to be bigger in…Grrrrrrr… anyway that's not the POINT! The point is we can't trust HER because she's a screwy turncoat who wants to help Kai steal our bit beasts."

Mariah didn't react to the insult; she was too busy squirming with embarrassment. Her body's entire skin surface fevered with a burning blush at the revelation that Kai was able to intimidate and out-man his (ex) team mates anatomically…

She even failed to notice how Ray had moved in front of her in order to block Tyson's sudden forward advance.

"Damnit Mariah! Why are you with him? What are you getting out of it?"

She took a step back as the top half of Tyson's body lurched at her from over Ray's forearm.

"ANSWER ME!" he roared

"He….he…" She began to speak, buckling to Tyson's interrogation methods, tears burning, emotions bursting like a damn "….I begged him to let me stay at Balkov Abbey."

"WHY?" Tyson demanded further.

"….because I hated my life! And ….I wanted a boyfriend. He looks good….he makes me feel good."

"Kai makes you feel good? Are we talking about the same person?" Tyson sneered.

"Whatever you think about him, he's never lied to me…..he's never hurt me."

Ray kept quiet; he knew that last sentence was aimed at him.

"I don't mean to shit-stir but that's only half an explanation." Said Max. The others looked at him to continue "Well, Mariah's sort of explained why she likes Kai. But that doesn't explain why Kai likes her enough to let her move in after only knowing her for a short time."

"…Maybe it's because she's stopped wearing a bra." Said Tyson, his eyes fixed on the subject of his observation.

She may as well have stayed back in the Demolition Boys' locker room.

Ray moved in close to her. His hands gently gripped her shoulders, and despite all that had happened, she allowed herself to take comfort in his gentle touch. "Mariah, hey, look at me. It's ok. I know this isn't who you are. Listen, come with us right now, I'll protect you. Don't worry about making Kai angry, I promise I won't let him near you. We can just finish up here and forget about everything."

Kenny barely had time to grimace at the surge of jealousy that shot through him before he was suddenly distracted. "Guys!" He gasped quietly as he noticed the four Demolition Boys approaching.

Kai looked perfectly at home with his three other assailants. His Japanese heritage had gifted him with all the lethal grace of a ninja, but it was his Russian blood that gave him his height and strength and allowed him to pass for one of 'them'.

Bryan, Tala and Spencer couldn't hide their arrogance, cocky smiles breaking out on their approach to the Bladebreakers who still donned the cuts and bruises from their run in at the Abbey.

The Russian team, taller, older, stronger, walked with a hint of gangster swagger; it was almost hypnotic to watch. As they came closer, Tyson straightened and made a point of looking Kai dead in the eyes. His expression was carefully neutral; he didn't want to have to deal with the consequences of pissing these guys off right now.

Kenny flinched as Kai and the others momentarily stopped in front of him and the Bladebreakers. Mariah stiffened and was immediately alert at the concerted look that Kai cast; all at once criticising her for mixing with Tyson's team and …beckoning her to come to him.

Her heart sped up. Unquestioning and obedient, she moved away from Ray and came forward to stand with Kai. He reached out and placed his arm around her in a startling display of possession. Biceps hard from training, leather and metal resting on her shoulder in a blissful caress….she felt herself almost trembling at the feeling of it. His expression was cold, hard but confident; his dark eyes arresting the flustered girl as the rapidly increasing sensation of dragonfly wings rushed inside her.

Despite the dizzy illusion that she was under, this was not Kai giving a public show of affection. This little stunt was all about male bravado; a silent 'fuck you – she's mine' to his ex-team…..and maybe to his current one. It was all too easy and tempting to pass up the chance to rub in their faces the fact that he practically owned her now. He had inherited her affections and now she answered to him. It was simply a huge bonus that everything about her was so beautiful. The way her long silky hair felt against the skin of his inner forearm. The way her left shoulder nestled in against the side of his torso and how the curve of her hip nudged tantalisingly against his leg as she walked with him.

But best of all was the defeated look on the Chief's face. It was priceless, and even Kai couldn't help relishing the cheap little thrill he got from one-upping a lesser male like Kenny who probably wouldn't even get his first fuck until he was 23.

Ray frowned; the closeness between Mariah and Kai was setting his teeth on edge. It was so bad that he had to fight the urge to chase after them and rip her out of his ex-captain's grasp. The intensity of his protective instinct and territorial reaction surprised him but he was smart enough not to start a fight he couldn't win; all he could do was watch as they walked away.

"…Man, for a second there I thought we were in trouble." Max breathed with relief "Those guys looked ready to pound the ever-loving shit outta us."

"See Kenny? She's into all that 'bad boy' stuff. And that's why girls like her won't ever go for regular guys like us." Said Tyson

Ray glowered as hidden feelings for her surfaced and mixed with the kind of jealousy that makes your gut strain. He'd missed out. Big time.

* * *

Mariah leaned forward slightly, her tongue resting against her bottom teeth as she applied an extra coat of jewel bright lip gloss. The ladies' bathroom was large, white and, arguably, a step up from the Demolition Boys' locker room. At least there were mirrors in here and it was quiet.

The door opened and was quickly followed by the sound of a distressed female voice. "I just don't know what to do, Doug. The kids are devastated." The tall blonde lady noticed Mariah. "…Listen, Doug, I'll call you back ok? Bye." Judy hung up and returned her cell phone to her pocket.

There was an awkward silence as she and Mariah stared at each other.

"…Mariah?"

"…Hi. You're Max Tate's mom, right?"

"That's right. I'm Judy." She walked to the sink that was next to Mariah's and began taking out some make up items of her own. "So, Mariah…how are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks."

"The tournament ended a little prematurely, huh?"

"I guess so." Mariah was beginning to get the feeling that this conversation was leading to somewhere she didn't want it to.

"You know, there's a dance act on at the moment. The organisers had no idea that the Beyblade final would be over so quickly and with so many fans that have travelled from all over the world, they've had to extend the support acts right at the last minute. They really went to a lot of trouble, I sure hope not too many people are disappointed."

Mariah didn't really feel like explaining that Kai and his team were only suffering through the singing and dancing performances until they could claim their trophy at the end of the show. Even though they had awesome seats and the entertainment featured some spectacular Russian talent, they had no appreciation for it. Kai, in particular, had been a moody prick…. arms crossed, slouching in his seat, foot up against the head-rest of the one in front….. The show may as well have been Tyson Granger performing karaoke.

No company was better than bad company and that was part of why she had retreated here….. But now she was regretting that decision.

Judy was being deliberately neutral in her choice of conversation topic, problem was it only made Mariah feel all the more awkward. She was no fan of the American team and had mentioned to Kai, that morning, how badly Emily and Steve had treated her when they first met. Still, nobody deserved to have their bit beast wiped out and Mariah felt as though she had to make that point to Judy.

"…How are the All Starz doing? I feel so bad for them…losing their bit beasts like that."

"Honestly?…It's hell for them. I mean, could you imagine never seeing Galux again?...Well I guess that's not really a concern of yours. Afterall, you're Kai's girlfriend."

And there it was, the sudden change in tone and motive. Still, Mariah remained polite.

"Listen, I'm sorry for what happened, I really am. But I had no idea that Black Dranzer was going to absorb those other bit beasts. Kai doesn't really discuss his tactics with me."

"If you're sorry then maybe you could help me. Could you talk to Kai? Make him see sense? Make him realise that he's got to return those bit beasts."

"Of course, I'll try. But I'm not sure he'll listen to me."

"Well, you're his girlfriend; he'll have to listen to you. Mariah, you can do this, I know you can. You're a good person and you want to do what's right." Judy continued to heap on the pressure.

"It's difficult…I kind of have a deal with him. I don't tell him what to do…like, ever."

A sincere look of concern flooded into Judy's sapphire eyes and her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Mariah, I don't mean to interfere but I've heard about your change in circumstances. You know…leaving your team and moving in with Kai. Don't you think you're rushing things a little? That's such a big step to take in a relationship…Is everything ok between you and him? Is he 'hurting' you in any way…emotionally….physically?"

"What?!"

"It's ok, you can tell me the truth."

"Well you don't have to worry. He isn't." Mariah answered firmly; she really didn't want to answer any more of Judy's loaded questions.

"…Sorry. That came out all wrong. I'm glad he's not hurting you but are you staying with him because you want to or because it's what he wants?"

"…It's what we both want. You just have to trust me…it's not what you think….I should be going now." She was seriously growing uncomfortable at the way this lady was probing into her personal life. Judy really had no business asking such intrusive questions; they had only just introduced themselves to one another formally…in the ladies bathroom at that! It was hardly the time or place to…

"…Are you having sex with him?" Judy dropped it like an A-bomb and the question seemed to echo louder and longer around the room than anything else she had said. Furthermore, she didn't even give Mariah the chance to reply.

"Please, tell me that you're using protection."

The back of Mariah's throat tightened, like an invisible hand was choking her. The rush of embarrassment was stifling and the sheer audacity of this woman was overwhelming.

"…I have to go." Mariah's words rushed out on a desperate breath. Wide eyed and exasperated, she shoved her lip gloss back into her purse and attempted to stride quickly away…but Judy caught her by the wrist.

"As a mother, I can't just stand by and let a teenage girl make the worst mistake of her life. I was your age once, I know boys like Kai can seem exciting…the good looking, dangerous ones that our mothers warn us about. But he will break your heart. Listen to me. Mr Dickinson has known Kai's grandfather for an awfully long time, he knows Kai's history and let me tell you, that boy has a very complicated past and a lot of problems that you shouldn't get involved with."

"You don't even know him! And you don't know me either!" Mariah replied bitterly, unable to keep the thread of hurt out of her tone as she shrugged away from Judy's hold. Her tears were getting closer to the surface and becoming harder to contain.

"…And if you and Mr Dickinson knew so much then why didn't you…." She stopped herself. But only just. Emotions had gotten the better of her and at the revelation that Judy and Dickinson apparently knew about some of the darker aspects of Kai's life, she genuinely wanted to scream out WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU DO SOMETHING TO HELP HIM?!

The look of concern on Judy's face suddenly deepened and Mariah knew all at once that she had let too much slip. Enough to raise suspicion, anyway.

She should have stayed to clear the air, to explain that everything was fine at Balkov Abbey.

Instead, Mariah ran.

* * *

The sound of stilettos hammering over the hard floor, echoed along the corridor. Kenny heard her before he saw her and immediately ceased to study the posters and leaflets on the stadium noticeboard.

Her gold eyes flashed with anger and panic, she wasn't crying but she looked pretty damn close to tears. She slowed to a staggered trot and then a defeated walk. Upon spotting each other it seemed as though it was all up to him to make the next move and considering his experience with girls was little to none, he was clueless as to what this move should be.

"…Mariah?"

He cautiously approached her. She was clearly upset but no less beautiful for it. Being the smart kid he was, his mind began chucking out all sorts of possibilities….maybe Kai had upset her and she was looking for a new (unconventional kind of) hero…

"Are you ok?" Kenny asked

"I don't know…..I think I might have said something that will….I mean, I didn't really say anything but…she might think that I did….and…if she interferes then, Kai won't ever forgive me!"

She wasn't really making sense to him but one thing was clear, she was a damsel in distress and the urge to rescue, to comfort and console her, was overwhelming. Hell, it was his duty; surely.

"…Do you wanna talk about it?" Kenny asked gently. Girls like to talk about their feelings; he knew that much.

"I got collared by Max's mom. She…. just made me feel a little uncomfortable."

Kenny didn't have a clue what the hell that meant but he didn't want to probe further for fear of scaring her away.

"Oh, I'm sorry she did that…."

"I know she was just trying to be nice or whatever but…" Mariah trailed off and broke eye contact with him. She loosely wrapped her arms across her body ….tits resting on top of them….unconsciously pushed together. Kenny stared.

"Would you…maybe… like to hang out back in my team's locker room? Don't worry, they're not in there, they're watching the show in the arena. We can have some soda and just chill out for a while…if you want to…?..." That was about the nearest he'd ever got to asking out a girl.

She looked up and re-met his gaze. There was a feint look of puzzlement in her eyes as she processed his invitation. At the same time, he prepared himself for rejection. He figured Tyson was right; why would she want to spend time with a weedy little nerd when she could go back to an alpha male like Kai.

"…Ok…thanks." She said, much to Kenny's shock.

That thirty second walk along the hall was heaven. She was almost as close to him as she had been to Kai earlier and the scent of her perfume was delicious. "It's right this way." He said, instinctively holding his hand out to guide her around the corner, the palm of his hand skimming her lower back. He bit his lip and held it there longer than he should have but she didn't seem to mind; he marvelled at feeling the sway of her hips resonating up every nerve in his hand and arm. But the reverie ended there.

The two teenagers entered the locker room to find Tyson ranting at Max as Ray leaned sullenly against the far wall – great, now he was doing Kai impressions.

Kenny cursed under his breath; their unexpected presence had totally ruined his plans and with Ray there, he didn't stand a chance of holding her attention, let alone her affection.

"Damnit! We have to find a way! We…" Tyson paused as he noticed their presence. "Chief? What are you doing with her?" he demanded.

"Mariah? Jesus, what's wrong? What happened?" Ray ran to her, took hold of her hands and studied the now faded look of anguish in her glassy eyes.

Kenny threw his hands up in despair and sighed in defeat as he returned to his computer. Mariah wouldn't need him now that Ray had taken over 'rescuing' her. Her fellow White Tiger would know just what to say without any awkward silences or stuttered words. He was tall, good-looking, ripped and all that other shit that she seemed to go crazy for.

"Nothing. It's just today has been so intense. It's just been too much." She explained, unable to go into detail.

"Yeah, I understand. It was a real shock when Black Dranzer trapped the All Starz bit beasts. I mean, we'd heard rumours that he could do that but no one saw it coming."

"Bullshit!….she was probably in on it."

"SHUT THE HELL UP, TYSON!" Ray shouted

"Don't tell me to shut up! You guys might fall for a pair of big tits and a mini skirt, but I sure as hell won't!"

"I'm warning you Tyson! Now, apologise to her." Ray seethed

"Like hell I will!"

"Hey Mariah, when you get back to Kai you can tell him that Mr Dickinson and my mom are appealing his win on account of him stealing those bit beasts. In fact, that's why we're waiting in here. There's no way his tactics were legal and as soon as the Demolition Boys are disqualified, we're gonna fight this tournament the way it was meant to be fought! He'll get stripped of his title and the WBO will force him to return the Bit Beasts." Max declared. He was kind of neutral but certainly more in support of Tyson than anyone else there.

"Well I've just been talking with your mom! And for your information, I promised her that I would try and get Kai to give back those bit beasts. I had no idea that he was gonna take them in the first place!" She fumed, hoping to God it would be the last time that she would have to explain and defend herself.

"It's ok. We believe you, Mariah. Right guys?" Ray said, emphasising that last question.

Max sighed "…I guess so." It only seemed fair after Mariah had promised his mom that she would help.

"Of course we do." Kenny added.

"Hmmmph!" Tyson snorted "Well I don't."

Mariah stepped forward, summoning the strength to argue with the stubborn Bladebreaker.

"Tyson, you were with him from the very start. Back home, you live in the same town as him. He trained you, he was your captain, and you travelled the world with him. You spent all that time with him on the same damn team. You were closer to him than anyone. Did he ever give you any idea that he was planning to do all of this?" she demanded.

"…Well…no…but."

"Right! None of you knew what he was planning. Mr Dickinson didn't know, Max's mom didn't know. NOBODY knew that he was planning to capture those bit beasts, especially not me. So just get off my case."

Ray smiled slightly; he was proud of her. Proud that she could stand up for herself, fend off Tyson's incessant bullshit, make him abandon his anger and leave him simmering quietly in a full blown teenage sulk.

Mariah turned her attention back to Ray; it felt undeniably good to revisit comfortable old feelings.

"…Where are the others? Are Kevin and.."

"You don't know?" Ray interrupted her. His eyes darkened as he stared hard at the floor, his gold irises darting to the right. "Kevin and Gary are at the city hospital. It's Lee." Disappointment forced Ray to exhale deeply. "Lee did something stupid last night. Real stupid."

Sickly memories of her ex captain and last night suddenly dominated her every thought; Ray didn't know the half of it.

"He was hurt and angry that you had left. Kevin and Gary wanted to go ahead and compete but Lee had given up. He was taking it out on them…you know, shouting…and throwing stuff around. So, we let them stay over in our room. We figured Lee just needed time to cool down on his own but he had other ideas. He raided the mini bar, got drunk and fell over the balcony. He was lucky, though. He only ended up with a broken ankle and two cracked ribs. He'll be fine in a couple months…the worst part is Galeon is gone. Lee won't talk about what happened, at least, not properly. But he said he misses you."

She felt as though someone had just tipped a bucket of ice over her head. She had wrongly guessed that Kai had merely roughed Lee up a little and for all of last night she had allowed herself to feel that her ex-captain deserved it after what he had put her through. But this? This was another one of those dark and devastating surprises that Kai kept lavishing upon her. Like his ability to bare knuckle fight two on one, and illegally drive a car worth more than most peoples' houses. Most guys would give a cute girl a bunch of flowers or a box of candy but Kai gave her a blade that could slash through rhino hide like it was butter….

Ray leaned in close though she didn't quite realise how close until his hand was against her face, gently stroking the feathered layers of her bangs. "Hey, it's not your fault. It was his stupid decision to drink like that, and it was his own fault that he got into an accident."

Even though Lee's comeuppance wasn't directly down to her, she still felt connected to it in an underhanded way... through Kai. He had only faced off against Lee because of her.

Michael, Eddy, Steve and Emily were in emotional agony at the loss of their beasts and it felt so hypocritical that she had given her condolences to Judy even though she had already pledged her alliance to the guy who had ruined them. Having Kai in her life meant living with constantly torn emotions…and she was no longer sure she could cope with it.

Especially since Ray was tempting her back. His spell was trickling through her, working its magic…..its warmth. He recognised that she was tender and vulnerable and right in that sweet spot where if he soothed her in just the right way, she would give him more than just her gratitude.

"Everything's gonna be ok. I'll never leave you again….I'll never look at another girl again. From now on, it's just gonna be you and me, babe. Forever."

He had gotten to her head like desert heat. She started to feel warm and dizzy, luxuriating in the way it felt to be on the receiving end of his seduction. He was finally looking at her in that way she'd always dreamed. He was stroking her arm, staring desirously into her eyes and saying the kind of things that would get her into bed…

For half a second, she felt a whisper of his breath caress her bottom lip, then a warm deep pressure over her mouth. The kiss she'd waited a life time for.

"Ewwww" Max droned.

"Oh for God's sake! Can't you two do that someplace else? Take it outside!" Tyson barked.

Ray didn't give a fuck; this was too good an oppourtunity to pass up. If Mariah was happy to dress like a street corner hooker and give up on her uptight, unrealistic sexual morals, then he was happy to take advantage.

Tyson turned to Max "Can you believe this? They're not even stopping!"

Kenny was dealing with it in his own way. He had his camera application open on his computer and for some, perhaps slightly perverse, reason. He hit record. It was a habit he had fallen into, recording interesting sights on his travels. Much of the time it was to record the blading techniques of rivals along with various amazing sights like the Grand Canyon or the Eiffel Tower.

And now, the latest addition to his video collection was Mariah with her arms wrapped around Ray's shoulders as he stroked her back, his hands lost under the velvet curtain of her long hair.

She shied away just as the very tip of his tongue touched hers.

"Ray, I wanna come home; with you."

The bubble burst and the hormones ceased to rage. Ray suddenly looked uncomfortable; he scratched the side of his face and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"…Well….umm….we…..we have to try and get those stolen bit beasts back from Kai before we can go." He said dubiously.

"Oh Brother!" Max sighed.

"It's the start of yet another exciting chapter of the White Tiger love triangle. You guys should have your own soap opera." Sneered Tyson.

Mariah turned around just in time to see Ray as he stopped making frenzied hand gestures at his friends.

"Ray?" she asked, utterly confused.

"Tell her the truth, Ray." Kenny said lowly.

Ray exhaled in defeat. "Promise you won't get angry."

"Just tell me." She pleaded.

"…Well…I…kind of had your plane ticket home transferred to another person's name."

"What other person?"

"…You…kind of already met her. At the hotel."

Mariah stopped breathing as she frantically tried to deal with the shock and disgust that were fighting for first place in her heart. Pain overtook and quickly won the race.

All the promises he made about staying with her forever, never looking at other girls again….Lies right off the bat.

"I thought you were going to stay here with Kai."

"…You were going to take that slut back to our village?"

"…Not for long. I just wanted to make sure Lee and the others got home safe, then go travelling. She wanted to come with."

Mariah cringed, trapped by all the painful memories and jealousy of catching him those couple of nights ago.

"I'm sorry."

But his words no longer meant anything to her.

She stared intently at the ground, not daring to move her pupils in case a flood of tears was let loose. Concentrating on that one spot seemed to be the only way to hold back the waterworks as feelings of being alone and lost resurfaced, just like in Balkov's underground labyrinth.

Thankfully, there's always a little beam of light in the dark.

Kenny wouldn't ordinarily have the confidence to approach a girl like her, a beauty out of his league. But once again, she was all upset and alone…and he wanted a slice of that vulnerability that Ray had pounced on. With practically no competition from the other guys in the room, he decided to make his move.

"…Um….Mariah?"

She looked at him. He reached out his hand in an attempt to take hers but then had second thoughts and put it back by his side.

"I know things seem awful right now…but…there are people who…really care about you."

He noticed the wet sparkle in the corner of each of her eyes and immediately reached into his pocket to pull out a square of white material.

"You wanna borrow my handkerchief? It's ok, it's clean…I..I..I haven't even used it! Honest!"

"…Is that what passes for a pick up line these days?" said the voice that didn't belong.

Kai had entered, undetected. Not surprising really. He was the kind of guy who could follow you into a revolving door and, somehow, come out in front.

"What do you want Kai?" Max shouted.

He ignored everyone else in the room as he approached Mariah.

"You left this behind." He held out her blade.

"Whoa!" Kenny couldn't help exclaiming as he studied the deadly attack disc; a killer custom job, illegal in every way.

Mariah stepped forward cautiously, ensnared by that ever demanding aura.

She reached out and gently took Galux from him in a moment that consisted of a single dangerous spark.

As she locked eyes with him, the weak butterfly sensations that Ray had stirred earlier retreated quickly at the pounding feeling between her breasts that was insisting there was a need deep inside that only Kai could get to.

The other boys remained quiet. In truth, they were intimidated; still struggling to swallow the way he had betrayed them and crushed their dreams.

Kai turned to leave.

"…Coming?"

Her skin prickled. It was a half assed invitation thrown over his shoulder and said like he didn't even care but it was enough to evoke the strangest sense of fidelity within her.

Slowly….hesitantly…..she began to follow him and quickly elicited the disappointment of everyone else.

"Mariah, I know you're only going with him to get back at me." Ray exclaimed.

"Mariah! Please think about what you're doing!" Kenny begged.

She had no chance to reply.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Tyson roared!

The rough contact of his leather gauntlets pressed at her waist and hip as he snatched out and tore her blade from its holster!

Pink. Red. Blue. Loaded with Galux, Tyson's launcher was now the most deadly weapon in the room and although he wasn't World Champion, the kid was still a damn good blader.

His aim, locked on Kai.

"Nobody….fucking….move." It was the most serious Tyson had ever sounded.

And for ten whole seconds everybody, even Kai, did exactly what Tyson said.

"….This is usually the part where the deranged lunatic makes his demand." Kai said in cool defiance. He was amused rather than scared at Tyson's outburst. He genuinely liked confrontation, he'd grown up on it. When it was with a worthy adversary it was straight-up exciting, almost with a sexual edge. When it was with a weaker specimen, a dick like Tyson, it was just fun…like watching an old lady bend down to unsuccessfully pick up a coin that someone had super-glued to the ground in front of a convenience store.

"Oh I got a demand for you, buddy. Why don't you start by returning all the bit beasts you stole."

"You mean the bit beasts I won? Try again, Tyson."

"I'M THE ONE CALLING THE SHOTS AND IF YOU DON'T DO IT I'LL SHRED YOU LIKE FUCKING COLESLAW."

Kai's eyebrow rose slightly and he laughed a little.

"Typical. Always thinking about food."

"GRRRRRRRRRR" Tyson growled incoherently and his fist quivered as he prepared to launch.

Ok, this was starting to get a little too serious; even Kai knew the damage a blade like that could do. The upshot would be some serious bleeding and about three hundred stitches.

"Kai! Just do what he says." Ray shouted.

Kai continued to stare Tyson down intently….. Cute, the kid genuinely believed that waving a blade around automatically made him tough.

For everyone else, the atmosphere was unbearable and although Mariah knew she shouldn't interfere, she figured that as long as she didn't make any fast moves….there may be a way to distract Tyson.

Kai could tell a seduction was on the cards…..it was all in the way she ran her hand down her body to smooth her skirt, and the way she ever so gently bit her bottom lip.

She stepped closer to Tyson, calling upon her power to beguile….he was angry but, surely not immune.

"…Tyson. Don't do this." She pleaded softly.

"Huh?" he seemed confused but never took his eye or his aim off Kai.

"…Please, Tyson." She begged sensually "Just unload Galux and everything will be ok."

"What?! SHUT UP!" He yelled on the edge of meltdown. The anger flashing in his eyes suggested that her attempt to seduce him had failed.

"HURRGHHH!" the side kick to her abdomen confirmed it.

Obviously, Tyson was still just enough on the kid side of puberty for her alluring techniques to fail.

She fell rearward, landing on her back. Ray and Kenny swooped in either side to tend to her.

"TYSON!" Max shouted "What the hell are you doing? This has gone too far!"

"TYSON! PUT IT DOWN NOW!" Ray commanded…..the three other Bladebreakers continued to bark orders at him though Mariah had stopped listening. All she knew was that Kai didn't even flinch when she went down…he was refusing to look at her and ten to one, he probably wasn't about to ask if she was ok. Despite the sharp pain ringing in her side and back, his lack of concern hurt the most.

"I DON'T CARE IF KAI KEEPS THE BIT BEATS! I DON'T WANT THIS!" Max yelled.

"What? You're saying you don't want the All Starz to get their bit beasts back? Do you want a shot at the world title or not?" Tyson snapped, trying not to lose concentration.

"Of course I do. But not like this! Tyson, you're hurting innocent people." Max replied.

"Her? Innocent? I don't think so." He threw down a look of disgust at the girl he just assaulted.

"Tyson, you're upset, it's understandable. But you're going to get in big trouble if you keep this up." Kenny cried, his right arm still around Mariah's left shoulder as he supported her.

Him…..she didn't mind too much. However she suddenly became very aware of Ray touching her…holding the right hand side of her body.

"Get away from me!" she snapped angrily and started shoving him away with her hands and even her high heeled boot.

"Damnit! I was just trying to help!" Ray replied, wincing at the jab she landed against his shoulder.

"I don't want your help. I don't need your help." She hissed, inadvertently sidling up to Kenny.

"I think you better give her some space." Kenny suggested in a secretly selfish attempt to hold her to himself.

"You know what Chief? If you wanna deal with all this bullshit, be my guest. I'm done trying to keep everyone happy."

"Oh shut up Ray, you've only ever been interested in keeping yourself happy." Mariah snapped.

Ray stood up "Oh yeah? Well guess what? Your new boyfriend isn't any better than me."

Tyson's pupils darted momentarily to Ray's direction…as did Kai's.

Ray had the floor.

"Oh yeah. Kai's screwed around with his fair share of the bimbos who came to watch our matches. And you know what else? He has one very special lady waiting for him when school starts up again."

Kai still had Tyson aiming straight at him so he decided to keep quiet; an attempt to argue with and silence Ray could end up the catalyst for Tyson to attack. However, revelations about his love-life were likely to seriously piss off Mariah. Either way, it looked as though someone was about to get hurt and Kai figured better her than him.

"Did you know that Kai's favourite subject in school is physics? One reason for that. Doctor K."

"Who's Doctor K?" Mariah asked

"I'll tell you who she is. She's Kai's high school physics teacher. Thirty five years old, married, and her hobbies include working on applied physics for beyblades and, oh yeah, fucking Kai during free period."

It was another kick in the stomach, even worse than the one Tyson had just given her.

She studied Kai's face for any flicker of denial….remorse….shame? Nothing, just a faint smirk that wouldn't quit. It probably made things worse when she suddenly noticed that the ginger haired kid that was trying to 'help', had his hand too damn close to her ass.

"You know what I think? You're all disgusting. All anyone does these days is have sex, get jealous and argue! I…Arrrrrrrggghhhh!" Tyson was stifled as Max leapt on him from behind.

"….I….won't …..let you hurt anyone, Tyson" Max struggled to say as he scuffled with the angry teen.

Ray dove in to help and managed to dislodge the blade and launcher from Tyson's sweaty grip. He hurled the weapon to the ground where Mariah ripped her blade from it and tossed the launcher away.

"TYSON! Tyson, just calm down." Said Ray as he held the hysteric kid's arms to the ground.

Max straddled Tyson's back as he lay belly down on the floor kicking and grunting like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

The dark shadow looming over them along with a sharp cry of panic from Mariah suddenly informed them that their biggest problem had just arrived.

Kai shoved Ray aside. It was deliberately rough because the bandana wearing prick had revealed the one secret that he was meant to take to the grave.….. Max got up and backed away before he received a similar treatment.

"Huh?...Whhhhhoaaaa!" Tyson yelled as Kai gripped him by the open sides of his red shirt collar and hoisted him to his feet about as fast as the Tower of Terror at Disney World.

"Grrrrrrrrr" Tyson growled. He brought his hands up to cover Kai's and began to wrestle them away…and by some miracle, it seemed to work…Kai was no longer holding on to his shirt. Tyson blinked but before he could open his eyes….

"Huuuuummmpppffffff" he panted.

The urge to puke was unbearable. It felt like his lungs had just collapsed and that all his organs just got dislodged. Panic set in as he couldn't breathe and before he knew it, he was back on the floor. Curling to cover his guts, gasping to fill his lungs.

Mariah looked at Ray, then Max and instantly realised that no one else was going to help Tyson now!

She threw herself across the floor and covered Tyson's head and shoulders with the top half of her body just as Kai took a step back like he was about to kick a football with enough force to get it through goalposts located on the moon.

She was panting hard…staring up at Kai. Her left tit pressing against the side of Tyson's face as she held him.

"Don't hurt him again, he's just a kid!" she urged.

Her face was partly hidden by the long hair that fell over her shoulder, over Tyson and pooled a little on the floor. Kai studied her desperate expression. There was something disturbingly enticing about this chick.

Once again, the locker room fell silent, except for Tyson's breathless grunting and the atmosphere remained horribly tense.

"…I'm getting out of here. I'll find help." Said Max before promptly sprinting out of the room.

"Mariah…move…let him get some air." Ray instructed, "Tyson….Tyson….can you hear me?"

"…Wha?...Yeah….Ray?"

"It's ok buddy, we're getting out of here. Kenny, give me a hand."

Kai stood back and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as the others got Tyson to his feet. Personally, he felt they were all being a little dramatic.

Ray looked at Mariah with all the intensity of a life or death situation. "Mariah, are you coming with us? Final chance."

The girl who he had taken for granted all these years simply closed her eyes and shook her head – no.

It was then, Ray realised just how much he had damaged her; it was to the point that she was choosing a merciless psycho over him. That evil, cold, yet somehow lucky bastard, had won her and all Ray was leaving Russia with was some slutty red head who, on reflection, was quite annoying and shared very little in common with him.

"This isn't over, Kai. We'll be back for those bit beasts. And if you ever hurt Mariah…I'll kill you." Ray had never been more serious about anything in his life.

"Yeah! And that goes double for me!" Kenny added a little too enthusiastically; luckily, everyone ignored him.

"…Mariah….when you're ready to come home, just call me. I don't care what time of night or day. I swear I'll drop everything to come get you." The reality of leaving her, hurt like a bitch but he had to accept it. She had finished with him and it was his own fault.

"Go and take care of Tyson. He really needs you." She said; a strange numbness had taken over…for now.

Ray sighed in defeat. He'd never cried over a girl; that was Kenny's department. But as he helped his half crippled team mate hobble out of the locker room, his golden eyes burned with tears that felt like acid.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away from them." Kai said after he was sure the boys were clear of the exit.

Mariah whipped round to face him, ready to fire off at least a hundred questions about everything that had happened.

"…I just can't believe how low you really are! Hitting Tyson in the stomach like that! He was already down! And when the hell were you going to get around to telling me about what you did to Lee? And your plan to steal bit beasts …..or...or …" He interupted

"Why do you care? You don't even like the All Starz. What was it you said about Emily this morning? Oh yeah – she's a mean, ugly bitch who's shoes never match her outfit and 'Kai – you totally have to beat her'. Anyway, Black Dranzer is going to make sure those bit beasts are put to better use."

"What are you talking about?! Are you going to hurt them? Cut off their wings and tails and shove them into tanks full of weird chemicals like those other animals in your secret 'lab'?" Mariah ignored the way he imitated what she had said earlier about the female All Star.

"….They'll be fine. I'll be looking after them from now on…and I'm sure they'll like hanging around with me just as much as you do."

"…Like hanging around with you? You honestly think after all this?...…You're unbelievable. I have never met anyone so egotistical…! And seriously!? You screwed your TEACHER?...How do you even explain that? "

"She wanted my attention. She got it."

All of her emotions were suspended in mid-air; every time she thought that she had seen the worst of him, he hit her with another new low and another…then another. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, summoning a sense of maturity that was suppressed deep inside by the sheer fact that she was only fourteen and three quarters.

He watched with interest as her eyes opened. Good, she wasn't crying but he could tell she was more than a little jealous of the closeness he'd had with other girls….it stroked his ego more than it should have done.

"…Ok….this stops." She breathed the words out before continuing "No more fighting."

She took a few steps closer until she was about an arm's length away from him.

"Please…tell me you're sorry for the bad stuff you've done. Please tell me that you regret at least some of it."

She needed that 'sorry' from him. That would make him human, that would mean he had a heart and that it would be ok to allow herself more than just a physical attraction towards him.

"…Get over it, Mariah."

* * *

"Well, he's had the wind knocked out of his sails, but he'll be fine once he rests." Judy said as she finished examining Tyson. "Tell me again how this happened?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's my fault really." Ray answered quickly "Tyson started choking on some candy and I went a little overboard on the Heimlich manoeuvre."

"hmmmm…well you should be more careful in future, that goes for both of you." Judy scalded softly before leaving the boys alone so she could get back to her own team.

"I still don't get why I can't tell her that Kai did it." Tyson whispered bitterly to Ray.

"Just keep your mouth shut and remember, if you snitch on Kai then you'll also have to explain that you were using an illegal blade to threaten him and that you kicked Mariah. And if all that comes out, then Mr Dickinson will quit sponsoring the team and you'll probably get disqualified from all future matches for life." Ray hissed back equally bitter.

"Ok, I get it." Tyson conceded.

"Hey guys, the bus'll be here soon. The driver's still on his break. He wasn't expecting to pick us up for another twenty minutes." Max said as he came to sit with them.

"Oh no! I don't have my hat! I think I must have left it behind in the locker room." Kenny exclaimed

"Aw, Chief? Do you seriously wanna take that thing home? It looks like someone took a dead cat and a dead racoon and stitched them both together!" said Tyson insensitively.

"For your information, soldiers in the KGB wear that kind of hat. I don't care what you think, I'm going to find it!" Kenny snapped back before trotting away with Dizzi under his arm.

"Do you think one of us should go with him? You know, in case Kai's still in the locker room." Max asked.

"Nah. Kai'll be long gone by now. He's got that trophy to claim, remember?" Tyson replied with a scowl.

* * *

"That's all you have to say? 'Get over it?' What about Lee? You could have killed him."

"Call me crazy but I find it hard to have any sympathy for somebody who wanted to use a broken vodka bottle to rearrange my face like a Picasso painting."

"He what?"

"Does it really come as such a surprise?"

"I just thought..."

"You just thought I fucked Lee up because of what he did to you. Sorry to disappoint, but it was self-defence, not a crime of passion."

It shouldn't have come as a let-down but it did. She felt something inside sink a little, maybe it was her heart. Did he really feel nothing for her?

"You assume too much; that's your problem all over." He further criticised.

"Well you might believe that everything I do is wrong but at least I have good intentions. And by the way, Lee's going to be ok, eventually. Thanks for asking."

"Makes no difference to me."

"…And I know you took Galeon."

"Galeon was glad to get away from Lee. He came out real easy, and he's very happy where he is now."

Mariah suddenly thought about her promise to Judy. That she would at least try and convince Kai to return the beasts. A gentle persuasion was the best she could manage even though she knew it would be pointless before she even opened her mouth. But a promise is a promise.

"You have to return Galeon. He's sacred to my village. Even if Lee doesn't get him, another blader, someone worthy of his power should have him. And the same goes for the All Starz bit beasts. You should give them back too."

"If Tyson couldn't make me return them with a blade in my face, then what makes you think that I'll give them back for you?"

She wanted to retort with something about how it would be the right thing to do and he should listen to her because it would show that he cared about her feelings… The reality was he didn't give a shit about any of that stuff and Mariah knew it.

"…Sorry Judy, I tried." She meant to think it, but said it out loud instead.

"What does she have to do with any of this?"

"…I ran into her a little while ago. She asked me to try and get you to return the bit beasts. She seemed to think that you would listen to me but that was only because she had the wrong idea. I mean, she actually thought that we…"

The pink blush across her cheekbones intrigued him.

"What?"

"Nothing, just that…well she thought I meant more to you than I actually do." Saying it out loud somehow made it feel worse.

The silence left an opening for him to give her some sort of emotional concession, maybe even admit that he liked her a little. He chose to ignore it.

"Like I said, people assume too much." He slid away from the wall and began to walk in the direction of the door but in one swift movement the smooth tanned length of her forearm stretched out and blocked his way. She obviously wasn't done talking and the look on her face told him she was about to get serious.

"I think you're right." She said. She brought her arm back down once she was sure she had his full attention. "It's important to know the whole truth before jumping to conclusions. But that calls for honesty and communication. So I wanna ask you, Kai. What's the deal with Doctor K?" Kai could tell it sickened her to say that name. "Are you in some sort of …relationship with her? Or anyone else for that matter?" It was probably a question that she should have asked at least twenty four hours ago and she felt a little stupid for not doing so but so much had happened and hindsight only ever kicks in after the event.

He made her wait for the answer knowing that the delay was painful. That intense look in her eyes as they burned at him gold and dark like freshly made candy apples.

He could have been clever. He could have lied and said that he was hot for some other girl; that probably would have been enough to send her over the edge and running out of his life and straight back to Ray where she belonged.

"…No." He answered truthfully.

She let go of the breath that she had been unconsciously holding, although she wasn't done with him just yet.

"How many? Girls, I mean. Did you ever get into anything serious?"

See, this is precisely why he avoided all this pain-in-the-ass involvement with women. A question was never just a question it was always a flood gate that let fourth an emotional shit storm surging with jealousy, mind games and blackmail.

She swore that she caught something of a cocky smirk across his face as he looked away from her momentarily. In fact, everything about his body language was pissing her off right now. Especially the way he stood with his arms crossed and his legs parted like an alpha male PE teacher watching a dodge-ball game from the side lines.

"Serious? No. That's actually where me and Ray understood each other. As for how many…well, if we're still pretending that you're the love of my life, then that makes you number seven."

So that's how he thought about girls, one conquest after another? The thought left her cold and fearing more than ever that he was truly incapable of being anything other than a self serving son-of-a-bitch.

"And what about Doctor K? What number was she?" her words came out flash chilled by anger. Kai probably should have taken it as a warning to change the subject but something dark and playful inside just couldn't get enough of goading her and watching her prickle with ferocity.

"…She actually started out as number one, then she was there between three and four and again about two weeks before number six." He spoke in that controlled, nonchalant tone that could almost be described as emotionless. He watched her eyes widen in disbelief and couldn't tell whether it was because of the number of girls he'd had or that he had the barefaced nerve to confess about them. Maybe she had expected him to sugar-coat the truth or even deny it to spare her feelings. That's what Ray had always done for her.

But Kai's unvarnished revelations hit her like an insult, drawing out an uncontainable anger that suddenly guided her actions. She stepped forward, stared him dead in the eyes…..and as quick as a jungle predator's strike, she slapped him across the face hard enough to leave her palm tingling.

….!...

If she thought she had hurt him, she was wrong. Though he was surprised; he didn't think she was capable of lashing out like that. No matter, after years of physical training and good old fashioned abuse, the little love-tap she had given him simply felt like a touch of sunburn.

She panted heavily as she backed up, horrified at what she had done. Almost shivering with remorse.

"…Kai…oh God…I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

To her astonishment, he wasn't pissed off, he wasn't hissing with anger like someone who just got slapped ordinarily would be. "…Do it again." He ordered, sounding dry and worryingly calm. He straightened and squared up to her. Frightening her.

"What?" she squeaked, refusing to believe what she just heard.

"Hit me again. C'mon, I want you to do it."

"Why are you saying this?" She was having a serious WTF moment.

The terror in her voice was unmistakable; it was the sign of someone who couldn't handle their own emotions. He stalked towards her and with each step he took, she took one backwards. She kept going until she was up against a row of lockers, the cold metal doors pressing against the back of her exposed thighs.

"Get it out of your system. You'll feel better for it." He was so intimidating, so menacing…maybe even sadistic.

"I won't hit you…I don't want to!" she whimpered, still disgusted with herself for doing it in the first place.

In a way, he was disappointed at her refusal. Getting hit by a girl was completely different than getting hit by a guy. See, that upper body strength, that male aggression coming down on your body leaves you dizzy, sick and aching all over. But when a girl goes bat-shit and lashes out, it just feels like getting a Thai style massage. It makes you laugh and it actually feels good.

"Really? So what are you going to do the next time you get screwed up by something that happened before I even met you?"

"I know I was wrong. But it's like you don't care about anyone! I mean…I knew you were bad and I always guessed there might have been other girls in your past, but…your teacher?...that's…..that's…..just sick."

He didn't think it was possible but she had actually blown a goody-two-shoes fuse. It's just what happens when overly virtuous people get bitch slapped by the unwholesome side of reality.

…Still…he hadn't meant to hurt her. It was more like he wanted to test her. See what her reaction would be when she found out that there had been 'others'. The…jealousy…anger…disappointment; she was reliving all the heartache that she had gone through with Ray. But Kai could never mean the same to her as Ray did…could he? There was one final test.

"…It's not too late. You can still catch up with..."

"No." It surprised him just how quickly she cut him off and dismissed the last escape route to home.

"Despite everything, I'm still going to stay and watch your back at Balkov."

He let out a breathy patronising snigger. She had that determined look on her face, like a little kitty who was about to climb the biggest tree in the neighbourhood but didn't actually stand a chance of making it to the top.

"You mean until someone else catches your eye and you feel the need to 'save' them instead."

"What are you talking about? Someone else?" She was confused but recognised that he did this every time she spoke about genuinely wanting to help him. He was deflecting her words only to throw something completely twisted back her way.

"Since you feel the need to interfere every time someone is faced with a problem, you're going to be spoilt for choice at Balkov. So who's it going to be next? Tala?...Bryan?..."

She didn't know what he was trying to do but she sure as hell wasn't in the mood for another fight…especially when he was this close to her, even so, she couldn't let his jerky behaviour slide. Some sort of contrived retaliation was in order.

"Well, Tala sure looks like he could use a friend…and he has those gorgeous blue eyes, but Bryan? No way! He makes me sick…Come on, Kai. Do you really think I'm that shallow? I don't just switch from guy to guy! I was in love with Ray for four years!…"

"It didn't take long to get over him though. Girls like you fall in love five times a day."

"Not with guys like the Demolition Boys!...They're so mean and aggressive, no offence but that's just not my type."

"That's exactly your type…."

The firmness in his voice stunned her a little…or maybe it was the truth. It was the third time that day someone had insisted that she had something of a bad-boy fetish and when a person is told something enough times, they actually begin to believe it.

"…You sound just like Tyson." She uttered quietly, feeling strangely haunted.

"…This should be good." He jeered sarcastically as she prepared to explain.

"Tyson said…. no, actually he shouted at me…pretty much what you just said. He put it differently though, accused me of being addicted to 'bad-boys' or something like that."

"…For a kid who isn't exactly known for being smart, Tyson sure has a way of cutting through the bullshit." Said Kai, clearly amused.

"You do realise you're actually agreeing with Tyson Granger." Mariah shot back.

"He's right though, isn't he?"

"No!" she said it too quickly and shifted her gaze away.

Kai leaned forward, placing one hand on the locker behind her shoulder, his other one moved to tilt her face back to look at him, her chin now rested on a curved knuckle. A tantalising heat shot down her back and radiated throughout the rest of her body. She couldn't handle it when he moved in close like this, trapping her in his cage of barbed wire and torturing her with the unique kind of crackling static that teenage hormones create.

"Look at me straight, and tell me you don't like it."

"…I'm not even sure what you mean, exactly." She answered shyly, trying to evade the sudden interrogation.

Fine, if she wanted it spelling out then he was happy to oblige.

"…I'm not like the Bladebreakers, or the White Tigers, or the All Starz….I don't just wait around for Mr Dickinson or Judy Tate to fight my battles for me. When someone becomes a problem, I deal with them myself and I make sure that cunts like Sanguinex and Zomb …and Lee, get dealt with properly. And even though you won't admit it, I think you like the way I work more than you even know…."

He moved his hand away, he didn't need to hold her face any longer. She was entranced….hanging on his every word. Counting each segment of chocolate and burgundy and mocha in his irises.

"…I also think you love the idea of being 'princess' of Balkov Abbey. Walking around in front of Tala….and Spencer and Bryan and all fifteen hundred others…."

He moved his hand down to slowly trace over her upper thigh, illustrating right where the hem line of her skirt ended. "….wearing skirts so short that everyone can see what kind of bikini wax you're rocking…."

His touch felt like a tattoo needle across her leg; the same tiny penetrating jolts of sensation under her skin but without the pain.

"…getting all that attention and none of the risk because you think I'll be right there to stop them when they get bored of just looking. Life at Balkov might not be perfect, but it's better than what you're used to because, let's face it…you've had it with boring, predictable losers…. they just don't cut it anymore."

She desperately wanted to plead her case and tell him he had it all wrong. She still wanted to believe that he needed her help even after he had toppled Lee, single handedly defeated the world's most technologically advanced Beyblade team and decimated the two perpetrators who had attempted to fuck him like a bitch. She knew damn well that he could take care of himself…. Her problem was that, right from the start, she couldn't ignore the call of the thrill ride that was his life; even Tyson knew that much about her.

"Am I getting close? Or are you still going to tell me that you don't know what I'm talking about?"

She had become all quiet and breathy….just staring at him. Lost in a haze of horny confusion, trying to figure out how they kept going from argument, to anger, to closeness and kisses, to fight scenes and to adventure and right back to being strangers. There was no pattern, no convenient label to define exactly what they meant to one another and the line between pretending to be his girlfriend and truly becoming his special number seven was as blurry as the mist that splits the sea from the horizon.

"…What's happening with us? What is this?..." She whispered.

"You started this deal….it's whatever you want."

The ceiling's flourescent lighting exacerbated her dizzy head, making the room spin as if she was on a high from taking an 'e' in a nightclub.

It was like she wasn't even in control of her own body as she began to sink towards the floor, her back sliding down against the locker door.

He let her go three or four inches. Then his hand was pressing against the base of her spine, stopping her from lowering further. She had come over all faint, what a precious little creature.

Heat enveloped her from in front as he pulled her close to his body…warm, hard planes of muscle that made her shiver as she pressed against him.

…Then his other hand was at the back of her neck…gently raking up through her hair…tantalising the nerve endings under her hairline…..making a fist and slowly…..firmly… pulling on a thousand hot pink strands and tilting her head back, forcing her to look up at him.

She noticed his bangs; an organised mess of punk style spikes in pale blue. And beneath them, the cold fury in his claret eyes had given place to a drowsy gleam that unconsciously betrayed a sensuous desire.

And then she found out….

…His kiss was totally different from Ray's.

It started with a bite. Just a gentle one but a bite for sure….his teeth lightly sinking into her bottom lip…..leaving her startled at how something potentially painful could feel so lovingly ticklish….he followed up with a feathery lick, right where he had bitten and the two overlapping sensations sent her into a tingling freefall.

She didn't mean to moan like a whore but it just came out…and that small constrained sound gave him the access he wanted. Tremors of need rolled through her at the feeling of firm tongue entering her mouth and the connection was so exquisite and intimate that it had distracted her from analysing their relationship status. Which was just as well….because this was not an act of commitment. This was not a leap forward into the fluffy girlfriend/boyfriend dimension that she had dreamed of being a part of. This was Kai being led by his sense of entitlement. Frenching Mariah was simply his post battle treat. His opportunity to take a few moments to address the urges and feelings and dreams that he had suppressed all summer long….

Thankfully, she had no idea about his unwholesome male impulses and happily continued to groan around his tongue and push her tits against his chest; a lush combination that set off a raging tension in his groin. Every kiss was a big deal for her and she was helplessly submitted to the emotional and physical sensations that ensued. And though Kai's own resolve was close to melting, he wasn't about to give it up for a mouthful of Cherry Coke and Haagan Daaz.

A natural break in the kiss occurred and Kai decided that was enough…..he wanted more …..but that was enough…..it was becoming too much…he was getting too turned on…and..

…?...

The red light was tiny yet piercing and as smart as the kid was, he had perhaps made the stupidest decision of his life. Afterall, if you're going to spy on Kai Hiwatari in the middle of a make out session, you should really find a better hiding place than behind a trash can.

The tuft of ginger hair gave it away and Kai recognised that it was Kenny. Dizzi's red light also alerted him to the fact that he and Mariah were being filmed. The question was what to do about it… Go over there, demand he wipe the footage from Dizzi's memory then follow up with a little manhandling and few harshly worded threats?

Not Necessary. There were more effective ways of punishing Kenny….

Mariah's pulse shivered as Kai moved his attention away from her mouth; arching and pressing up to him as he started kissing the slope of her neck with deliberate slowness. He made sure to keep her head pushed to the left so that she wouldn't spot the geeky little voyeur. He wanted a show? Kai was happy to give him one.

Barrelling waves of desire swept through Mariah, interweaving with nervousness so strong that she positively ached with it. His mouth against the throbbing pulse in her throat….the drag of leather and slightly rough skin of his palm as he felt further and further up the side of her thigh…pressing his body hard against her, holding her firmly as she struggled to support her own body weight thanks to the floaty, sexy feeling that had her surrendering to transcendence.

"…mmmh….ahh…"

Yeah, that's what he wanted to hear. Those cooing girly noises that formed the soundtrack to her pleasure trip. That soft pornographic groaning that got breathier, more desperate as he ruched her skirt slowly up…and over her hip giving Kenny an eyeful of silky thigh as well as the scant hot pink side strap of her underwear. Though Kai's sexual buzz had been somewhat compromised by the little perv's presence, there was still a surprising amount of enjoyment left in showing off the kind of tight stripper's body and stunning long haired beauty that Kenny would never be able to attract. The envy would torture him, stay with him…maybe even scar him for life. The sight of the gorgeous female blader that he'd fallen in love with in China, getting necked and felt up by an evil jerk who didn't even deserve to breathe the same air as her.

Kenny seethed with the raw injustice of it all. He was the one who had wanted to sooth her gently, treat her right and patch up the hurt that Ray had caused. Those kisses should have been his….her arms should have been draped around his shoulders….he should have been the one slyly sliding his hand up along her inner thigh….

Kenny quickly took to toggling the zoom function on his computer but accidentally lost the up-skirt shot as he fumbled. Fast as he could, he refocused the camera angle, eyes glued to his screen….zooming in right on where the top of Mariah's legs met….right to that flash of bright pink fabric….right where Kai had his hand….fisted…..facing at the camera….flipping him the middle finger…..

…..!...!...!...!

Kenny's heart beat with thick heavy panic.

Without taking his eyes off the computer screen, he panned up the length of Kai's arm, past his upper body….maybe his ex-captain hadn't spotted him…..Kenny prayed that he was still hidden….prayed that the trash can cloaked him with its precious ability to hide things….

…..The camera angle settled on Kai's smirking face as he stared into the lens. Eyes dark with arousal and excitement and maybe even the prospect of hardening his knuckles on another soft target.

Kenny couldn't bear the thought of getting hit the way that Tyson had. The urge to break out into hysterics suddenly choked him up!

SNAP! Dizzi's screen was slammed shut.

The loud crisp noise pulled the lovesick Mariah out of her trance. The startled girl gasped at seeing the terrified kid, scrabbling to his feet and juggling with his computer….

….BANG!...The trash can toppled over as Kenny tripped backwards and grabbed its edge for support.

The spilled trash rustled and scattered as he tripped and staggered his way to the exit, all the while not knowing what to expect first; the sharp agony of Kai's upper-cut or a fucking asthma attack!

It was like trying to run in a dream (or a nightmare), you try and try but just don't seem to get anywhere!

The frantic kid's sneakers screeched on the floor as he escaped and within seconds the sound of his fast paced footsteps dissolved into silence along the hall outside.

Mariah immediately let go of Kai and pulled her skirt back down, though it was a little late to come the prim and proper act.

"What the hell was he doing?" she asked breathlessly.

"…Recording us."

"WHAT!? You mean on his computer? I didn't even see him come in! How long has he been there?"

"Long enough."

"…Wait a minute….did you know he was there the whole time?"

"Pretty much."

"And it didn't occur to you to say something to him?"

"Sure, it occurred to me. But I figured the kid could use a break."

"Oh my God! Are you seriously telling me that you don't mind that little PERVERT filming us when…we're…in the middle of…whatever, I just don't get you!"

"Kenny would be devastated if he knew you called him names like that."

"Well how else would you describe someone who not only spies on other people, but records them WITHOUT permission while they're ….doing….stuff."

"….You know, he really liked you."

"He….what?"

"Ever since the Asian tournament, he fell for you and completely resented Ray. And just when Ray's out of the picture and Kenny thought he might be in with a chance, you break his heart all over again."

"Wait….look, I'm not trying to be mean here. I don't even know him that well…he's sweet but it's not my fault if I never felt the same way about him. And it sure as hell doesn't give him the right to invade my…our…privacy. Do you think…you could get him to delete whatever he recorded? I'm sure he would if you asked him! You definitely wouldn't need to get physical. Kenny's not stubborn like Tyson; he's scared of his own shadow."

"Let him keep it. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I'm just not comfortable with him making videos of me without my permission. It's creepy."

"It's too bad that you feel that way; that kid has hundreds of videos and pictures of you."

"I know you said he 'likes' me but don't you think that sounds a little obsessive? I mean, why would he want so many pictures of me?"

"…Let me think about that. Why would a ninth grade kid want pictures on his computer of a pretty girl that he really likes?….."

A couple of seconds passed before she realised….

"…Ewwwwwwww!"

It felt really gross to think that she was The Chief's ultimate wank fantasy.

"You're kidding, right?"

"…I've been on tour with him long enough to know why he locks himself in the bathroom every night at 2 a.m. with his computer."

"That's disgusting! Ok, now I really want you to get him to delete the footage that he has of us. What if he jerks off to it?" The words completely bypassed her speech filter and just spilled right out.

"Oh, you can count on that."

Mariah shuddered at the disturbing vision of Kenny that stubbornly refused to leave her mind…his weird little goof ball face…and everything else….ewww!

"Does it really bother you?" Kai asked as if reading her mind.

"…Well, yes. Actually it does."

"Then how are you going to feel at Balkov Abbey when literally hundreds of guys will look at you and have the same idea as Kenny?"

"Well, I…I…don't know. I'm sure it won't be like that. I mean, I know that boys think about that stuff a lot but surely not twenty four hours a day."

"…You obviously haven't noticed the way Bryan's been looking at you."

In her astonishment, she couldn't speak. It had been almost painful to suffer through Bryan's unrequited flirtation and she had never felt more intimidated or vulnerable in her life. Add to that the confusion caused by Kai's selective sense of possession. One minute she was irresistibly, undeniably his and the next…he was dangling her like bait, almost willing the likes of Bryan to take a bite.


End file.
